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1) 



MODERN RIDING 



AND 



HORSE EDUCATION 



BY 



MAJOR NOEL BIRCH 

ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY OF GREAT BRITAIN 




N«w York: 

WII.UAM R. JENKINS CO. 

PUBLISHERS 

851-853 Sixth Avenub 

(Cor. 48th street) 



-b 



O 



'\ 



:9" 



COPTRIQHT, 1912, BY WiLLIAM R. JENKINS Co. 

All Rights Reserved 



Printed by the 
l*RE8s OF William R. Jenkins Co. 

NEW YORK 



©CI.A3(i53G0 



J 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 

PAGE 

Introduction i 

By Major General Sir A. N. Rochfort, K. C B., C M. G. 

Preface 5 

PART I— ON TEACHING RIDING. 
Section. 

I. On the Necessity for Applying S:ientific 

Principles to the Teaching of Riding and 

the Training of Horses 13 

II. Seats 27 

III. Balance 47 

IV. Knee and Thigh Grip 59 

V. Getting Down in the Saddle 69 

VI. The One Aid and the Indications 75 

VII. Distribution of the Rider's Weight 81 

VIIL The Use and Misuse of the Hands 89 

IX. The Use of the Lower Part of the Leg 107 

X. The Voice and the Whip 1x3 

XI. Spurs j jo 

XII. Riding Schools v. the Open 125 



Index of Subjects 



Section page 

XIII. Saddle with Stirrups v. Numnah 131 

XIV. Reins V. No Reins I43 

XV. An Improved Method 151 

Preliminary Exercises 152 

The Strap 152 

Jumping 156 

Hints to Instructors 167 

XVI. Instrumental Exercises 177 

PART II.— ON TRAINING HORSES. 

XVII. What to Teach 193 

XVIII. The Horse's Mind 205 

XIX. Appliances for Horse Training 219 

XX. Early Days 245 

XXI. Further Training 253 

XXII. Jumping 271 

XXIII. Refusers 285 

Index 293 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate 

I. The "Cabriole" Frontispiece i^ 

FACING PAGE 

II. The Flat Racing Seat 40 i- 

III. Circling at a Canter ^g 

IV. Good Balance Rising: Pace, a Canter 

V. Good Balance at the Top of the Jump: Pace, 

a Canter ( 50 

VI. Good Balance at the Top of the Jump: Pace, a( ^^°^. 

Gallop 

VII. Balance Lost : Pace, a Canter 

VIII. Good Balance Landing at a Slow Pace ' 52 

IX. Leaning Forward on Landing at Racing Pace 53 - 

X. A Professional Show-Jumping Seat 54*^ 

XI. The Rocking-Horse for Instructional Exercises.. 64 1/ 

XII. The Rocking-Horse for Instructional Exercises: 

Another View ^e ^ 

XIII. Opening the Shoulders g6 ^ 

XIV. Method of Holding the Reins: In One Hand.... 102 ' 
XV. Method of Holding the Reins : With Both Hands 103 



List of Illustrations. 

Plate Facing page 

XVL The Position of the Beginner's Leg When He 

Tires I35 ^ 

XVII. A Question of " Hands " 143 v/ 

XVHI. Giving Extra Head-Room by taking the Right 

Hand off the Reins 165 '•" 

XIX. American Overdraw Check-Rein (increased 

Shoulder-Action) 198 '■ 

XX. English Bearing-Rein (increased Knee-Action) • • 199^ 

XXI. The "Courbette" 230* 

XXII. The "Croupade" 231V' 

XXIII. A Jumping Lane 249 1 ' 

XXIV. Training a High Jumper 278 ' 

XXV. Interference With the Mouth on Landing 286 

Fig. page 

I. Contrivance for Curing Rider's Strain 66 

2 Holding on by the Leaping Pad 137 

3. The Stirrups tied Together 153 

4. The Strap 157 

5. The Beginner's Arms Correctly Placed for Riding at a 

Fence 161 

6. The Beginner's Arms Correctly Placed when Landing 162 

7. The Beginner Holding his Reins too Short 164 

8. Result of Holding the Reins too Short 165 



INTRODUCTION 

By MAJOR-GEN. SIR A. N. ROCHFORT, K.C.B., C.M.G. 

Late Inspector Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery, Great 
Britain. 

/-T^HE scientific treatment of the art of teaching 
■*■ riding is no novelty, as the works in many 
languages which have been consulted by Major 
Birch bear ample testimony, but the variety of views 
expressed therein by the authors is confusing, and it 
is apparent that the methods which have from time 
to time been adopted and then abandoned, only to 
be rediscovered as something new, partake rather of 
the nature of haphazard expedients than of princi- 
ples established on a well-thought-out foundation. 
That a similar divergence of views and prac- 
tice now exists amongst authorities on the subject 
is equally true. 

Under these circumstances I venture to think 
that the present work will be found most valu- 
able; the author has by exhaustive research 



^ Introduction 

rescued from books no longer generally available 
much that is good, while his reasons for not 
agreeing with some of the views expressed by 
these writers are convincing; and, last but not 
least, he has shown clearly in Sections XV and 
XVI what the aim of the instructor in riding 
should be, and the best means to that end. 

There is, I think, no portion of the book more 
interesting than Section II, where he deals with 
the evolution of the present-day seat on a horse, 
and shows how the pendulum, after oscillating 
between the extreme of the " Haute Ecole," or 
straight-legged seat, and its opposite as practised 
by Tod Sloan and his imitators, both of which are 
unsuited to general purposes, has finally come to 
rest at the hunting seat. We ought therefore to 
hear no more of the military seat as such ; — there 
never have been any good reasons for such a 
distinction, and it would be particularly un- 
desirable at present, when the military net is 
spread to catch many that can never be trained 
under purely military auspices. 

During the time I held the appointment of In- 
spector of Royal Horse and Field Artillery, I had 



introduction 3 

exceptional opportunities of observing the results 
of the instructional methods initiated by Major 
Birch and carried out under his direction; and al- 
though it is not contended that his method offers 
the only means of teaching a man to ride, the 
system is certainly a very efficient one. 

At a time when science, by adapting the means of 
mechanical locomotion to road transport, has al- 
ready done so much to emancipate horses from some 
of the drudgery of which they have hitherto been 
the victims, it is opportune to further enlist its aid 
in training them for the higher functions for which 
in the future they will be more generally used. The 
art of horse-training in this country has been too 
long neglected, as a result of which the waste in 
prematurely broken-down and vicious animals is 
probably greater than is generally realized. 

Natural aptitude and the sporting Instincts heredi- 
tary in our race have done much to minimize the 
necessity of scientifically training the man, but It is 
not so with the horse; it is to be hoped that Part 
II of this work will therefore appeal the more 
forcibly to that large section of the public which is 
interested in the production and training of young 



4 Introduction 

horses, and that those who peruse its pages will con- 
clude that there is no short cut to horse-training, but 
that, on the contrary, the intellectual and physical 
training of the horse must commence when young 
and be progressive. 



PREFACE 

I introduce this volume to the American public 
with some diffidence. The most successful 

jockeys of recent years on the English turf have 
come from America; only two years ago (1909) 
America beat England handsomely at polo, and 
this year (1911) she has repeated the victory after 
a hard-fought struggle. My justification must be 
that quite lately there has been a renewal of interest 
in the subject of equitation amongst the two great 
branches of the English-speaking race, which is no 
doubt largely due to the International Horse Shows 
which have been held everywhere during the last 
four or five years. These have brought home to us 
that Continental riders are not only as much at home 
in the saddle as ourselves, but that in the matter of 
bringing the training of man and horse to a high 
pitch of perfection for specific objects we have a 
good deal to learn from them, and this in spite 
of the fact that as yet no foreign nation could 
hope to put up a team of polo players to 
defeat the American winners of 1909, or any 
four men to beat an equal number of Eng- 

S 



8 iPreface 

land's hardest riders across the Leicestershire pas- 
tures. 

In an article on " The New Army School of 
Horsemanship " (Scribner's Magazine, July, 1909), 
by Major T. Bentley Mott, U. S. A., the following 
passages occur : — " The fact is, the United States 
have long ceased to be a nation of horsemen whose 
boys learn to ride as a matter of course, just as they 
learn to walk ; and yet, with considerable blindness, 
the public and the press have continued to assume 
that for military purposes all Americans are born 
with a knowledge of horsemanship ....... On 

the other hand, England has never had a school 
of horsemanship such as Saumur, Hanover, or 
Pinerolo. 

" England and Ireland still remain par excellence 
the land of horses and horsemen, and the number 
of men who ride and handle horses constitute in 
those countries a fair proportion of the population, 
and the mounted services are recruited in officers 
and men considerably from people who have always 

ridden Nevertheless, the British are 

now awakening to the fact that in the matter of 
army horsemanship — certainly in its refinements — 



Preface 7 

they are being left behind by nations far less favored 
in the way of raw material." 

This book, which I trust will also interest the ac- 
complished horseman, is especially addressed to the 
pupil, whether boy or man, and to his instructors, 
and may possibly prove useful to the lady who 
wishes to adopt the cross-legged seat. Though 
many of the illustrations show men in uniform, I 
must impress upon the reader that this is no military 
text-book ; soldier and civilian now sit and ride alike 
in England, and there is every reason why they 
should, as I trust the following pages will show. I 
feel it necessary to emphasize this point, as there ap- 
pears to have been much comment at the New York 
National Horse Show of 1909 on the different 
styles of riding of the American and English 
officers ; the former being said to have the military 
and the latter the hunting seat. 

In the year 1905 I was appointed to command the 
Riding Establishment at Woolwich, and found my- 
self responsible for the training of instructors in 
equitation for the Royal Regiment of Artillery and 
of the Cadets at the Royal Military Academy, who 
pass into the Artillery and Engineers. 



8 Preface 

Few men can have had the exceptional oppor- 
tunities I enjoyed of putting every known method, 
EngHsh and foreign, of teaching riding and training 
horses to a practical test ; there were rarely less than 
two hundred budding horsemen under instruction 
at a time, who were replaced as they became efficient, 
and at least sixty young horses passed through the 
Establishment yearly. 

Since leaving Woolwich I have visited all the 
principal Cavalry Schools of Germany, Austria- 
Hungary, Italy, France, and Belgium, and have 
seen many fine riders and well trained horses. 

There are so very many books on equitation that 
it has of course been necessary to cover old ground, 
but I believe that some features of the science — for 
science it is — have been treated in a new way. No 
book, as far as I am aware, recommends the system 
of teaching riding advocated in these pages, which I, 
and others who have tried it, have proved to ensure 
quickness and safety, with the minimum of discom- 
fort to both horse and rider during the process. 

In Part II, devoted to horse-training, I have en- 
deavored to impress on the reader the value of 



Preface 9 

early handling and development of the horse's mind, 
and have gone fully into the subject of permanent 
horse-balance and its extreme importance, a thing 
w^hich is not very generally understood. 

I have dealt with both riding and training from a 
more or less historical point of view, not only to 
give instructors some idea of bygone ways of riding 
and of teaching equitation and to point out why they 
fell into disuse, but also to prevent the possible rein- 
troduction of obsolete methods which time and ex- 
perience have proved to be faulty. I have freely 
quoted from equine literature where I have thought 
it to be desirable, but it must not be inferred that 
the authors mentioned are the only ones I have 
studied. As this book is intended to be little more 
than a handbook, I have not burdened it with a 
bibliography of all the works I have consulted. 

Without the assistance of my successor. Major the 
Hon. W. Sclater Booth, R. H. A., and his kindness 
in continuing experiments in the Riding Establish- 
ment in proof of various theories we both wished to 
advance, several parts of this book could never have 
been written. To the staff of the Riding Establish- 
ment, who have been every ready to try new de- 



ZO Preface 

partures, my thanks are also due ; as also to Briga- 
dier General H. de la P. Gough, commanding 3rd 
Cavalry Brigade, Ireland, the Messrs. Miller of polo 
fame, Mr. R. Donaldson-Hudson, and to Mr. C. S. 
Jackson, M. A., Instructor of Mathematics and 
Mechanics at the Royal Military Academy, Wool- 
wich; also to Major G. H. A. White, R. H. A., for 
some of the illustrations. 

I am much indebted to the Editors of the Royal 
Artillery Journal and the Cavalry Journal for their 
very kind permission to reproduce a portion of some 
articles I published in these periodicals, and in the 
case of the former to use some of the plates which 
illustrated them. I am also much indebted to the 
proprietor of the Field newspaper for a similar 
permission. 

Noel Birch. 

Naval and Military Club, 
Piccadilly, 

London. 
i2th June, 1911. 



PART I 
ON TEACHING RIDING 



ON THE NECESSITY FOR APPLYING SCIENTIFIC 
PRINCIPLES TO THE TEACHING OF RIDING 
AND THE TRAINING OF HORSES 



ON THE NECESSITY FOR APPLYING SCIENTIFIC 
PRINCIPLES TO THE TEACHING OF RIDING 
AND THE TRAINING OF HORSES 

" The most exalted seat in the world is the saddle of a swift 
horse, and the best companion for all time is a book." 

Arab Poetry. 

"T? NGLAND has long been behind other 
European nations in certain branches of the 
equestrian art, and rather despises foreigners for the 
time and trouble they bestow on riding instruction 
and on the higher education of the horse. General 
von Bernhardi says that " Anglo-maniacs and fad- 
dists still seek to exercise an influence the reverse of 
favorable in this respect." France and Germany, 
to quote only two countries, aim at making both 
the horse's and the man's training as perfect and 
as comprehensive as possible. 

Riding for spectacular purposes, whether in the 

riding school or the show-ring, is unlikely ever 

13 



14 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

to appeal to the average Englishman and American 
who hunts and plays polo; and we can take it that 
what in old days was called the " Great Saddle," and 
now " advanced Haute Ecole " work, is of no practi- 
cal value, nor do we meet such jumps as the 
" piano," and three rails of progressive heights, so 
placed that they must be jumped as one obstacle, out- 
side the show ring. We learn, however, from the 
foreigner the value of training both man and horse 
systematically for a particular object, as against 
our happy-go-lucky methods ; whatever success these 
may meet with being really in advance of their de- 
serts. 

The Messrs. Miller, at Rugby, train ponies as well 
as, if not better than, anybody else in the world, and 
in some other individual cases excellent results are 
obtained; but speaking generally, the farmer's son 
handles the colt with but little idea of how to set 
about it, and the dealer's lad will probably complete 
the breaking — for education it can hardly be called 
— the horse being then sold as a finished hunter or 
hack. If he is properly balanced and has a good 
mouth the purchaser is exceptionally lucky, and if 
the animal answers to the leg he is luckier still. An 



On Teaching Riding 1$ 

Irish dealer at the DubHn Horse Show once told me 
that he had a wonderful horse to sell me ; the remark 
caused no surprise, but I had the curiosity to ask 
why the animal was wonderful. " Your honor," 
was the reply, '' he can walk, trot, and gallop, and 
there are very few horses in the show that can 
do that." If we take the brains and time that are 
put into horse-training abroad as a guide, it is really 
surprising that so many horses at home should be 
able to walk, trot, and gallop in proper form. 
Many so-called trained animals which are sold out of 
England or Ireland to go abroad are treated as un- 
broken on their arrival unless over six years old, and 
are trained from the beginning. 

As far as the teaching of riding is concerned, our 
boys are generally taught by the family coachman, 
often a poor horseman and with no theoretical 
knowledge; a typical case of the blind leading the 
blind. 

I recently visited the French Cavalry School at 
Saumur, amongst others, which is the largest estab- 
lishment of its kind in the world, not excepting Han- 
over, and witnessed a performance given in the 
riding school by the Ecuyers (picked riding instruc- 



i6 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

tors). They rode in buckskin saddles, having rolls 
in front of the flap, and a large roll behind the seat; 
the lower part of the leg was drawn back, and in 
many cases the knee was not touching the saddle. 
The make of the saddle and the grip below the knee 
maintained the rider's seat when the horse did vio- 
lent and extravagant exercises such as the " cour- 
bette " (rearing) " croupade " (kicking out behind), 
and the "cabriole" (Plate I) (jumping off the 
ground and extending the fore and hind legs). The 
French claim that this seat is necessary in order that 
the " aids " may be applied delicately, but lady expo- 
nents of the Haute Ecole perform the work just as 
well on trained horses, although they cannot apply 
the leg as a man does. 

I was not at all struck with the seat, and although 
I was privileged to see no jumping, a careful exam- 
ination of many photographs taken on the spot 
proved that it is abandoned in favor of our hunting 
seat for more practical work, and a very firm " as- 
siette " they seem to have attained. 

This riding-school performance is frequently 
carried out with the object of demonstrating to 
embryo instructors to what a high pitch horse-train- 



On Teaching Riding 17 

ing can be carried, and of its kind it is perfectly ex- 
cellent. The horses are first of all taught their work 
tied between two pillars, and without men on their 
backs. Some of the aids employed can hardly be 
called delicate, even when the education is complete ; 
for example, to make the horse kick up behind, the 
riders gives him a severe cut with the whip just 
above his hocks. Doubtless these exercises develop 
useful muscles in the horse and ensure his balance 
at slow paces, as no unbalanced horse could perform 
them, but we need not copy either this training or 
v^hat is considered the necessary seat for it; the 
muscles of the horse can be devolped by far simpler 
means, and balancing is part of the animal's ordi- 
nary education. It is only fair, however, to add that 
these same horses are said to be able to travel over 
four miles of stiffish made-up country, the highest 
practical test possible in France, where natural 
fences of any sort are the exception. 

The only Haute Ecole exercise I have ever heard 
of with a specific object peculiar to itself is the Span- 
ish trot, which is said to cure stumbling; but as Mr. 
Swire has recently told us that horses possessing this 
accomplishment are apt to do it unasked when wait- 



i8 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

ing their turn at a fence out hunting and to strike 
other horses, its all-round value is doubtful. Im- 
agine one's feelings at the covert side if one's horse 
did the " courbette " spontaneously, and the lan- 
guage of one's friends if he began the " croupade " 
in a narrow gate-way! I think plain people and 
ordinary horsemen will agree with me that it is 
better to have an animal whom no power could in- 
duce either to rear or kick, than one trained to these 
evil practices. 

From a recent conversation with a Spanish and 
a French officer concerning " show jumping," I 
learn that the thirst for extremely fancy obstacles 
is the outcome of some years' training in this par- 
ticular sphere abroad. Fresh jumps are invented 
directly horses become clever at those in use ; let us 
hope that the limit of the animal's powers will 
shortly be reached. I was, however, informed by 
the Commandant of Saumur that the progressive 
training of horses and riders for jumping had al- 
most entirely eliminated accidents. 

What we in England should aim at now is the ap- 
plication of scientific principles to the ordinary 
teaching of riding and the training of horses, and 



Applying Scientific Principles 19 

in this we can take a lesson from abroad without 
going into any extravagances. After the Interna- 
tional Horse Show at Olympia (London) in 1909 
the following interesting comments appeared in a 
French official journal, after many encomiums on 
English practical horsemanship: — " They (English- 
men) fail in that nothing (ce rien) which may be so 
easily learnt in the school .... (and which) consists 
in those principles of equitation by w^hich a horse 
may be taught to go pleasantly wherever, whenever, 
and however one wishes, and at whatever pace is 
desired." Let us be satisfied when we have arrived 
at this and go no further; it is not necessary, nor 
can it be advantageous, to teach a horse for example 
to " canter false," one of the tests exacted at the 
Brussels International Horse Show of 1910. 

Towards the end of the reign of James I serious 
efforts appear to have been made to improve horse 
training and riding in England. Lord Mostyn 
possesses an MS. bearing date 16 18, in which the 
Lord President of the Council of the Marches urges 
the Deputy-Lieutenants of Flint to found a Riding 
Academy out of the rates, where horsemanship, " a 
necessary and useful part of every gentleman's 



20 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

breeding, and a thing of high estimation throughout 
the most flourishing and best governed part of the 
world," could be properly taught and horses trained. 
It is fair to assume that this movement was not 
confined to one county. The Deputy-Lieutenants, 
however, strongly objected on the score of expense, 
and history tells us that it was the custom at that 
time, and later on in the same century, for young 
gentlemen of England to go to France and there 
perfect themselves in riding. 

In 1 76 1 Henry Earl of Pembroke published a 
book entitled " Military Equitation, or a Method 
of Breaking Horses and Teaching Soldiers to 
Ride"; it ran through four editions if not more, 
and on October i, 1793, was accepted by the Adju- 
tant-General of the British Army and issued as the 
first text-book on the subject. The work is of ab- 
sorbing interest, and contains many hits at the equi- 
tation of that time, especially from a military point 
of view, some of which apply in a minor degree to 
the present day. On the necessity for study his 
lordship writes as follows : 

" I must urge the necessity of forming by read- 
ing, and serious study, as well as by much constant 



Applying Scientific Principles 21 

practice, proper riding-masters for the Army; 
though I am thoroughly apprized, as the celebrated 
Mr. Bourgelat observes, that an ill-founded pre- 
judice partially directs the judgment of the greater 
part of those people, who call themselves connois- 
seurs. I know full well that they suppose that 
practice alone can insure perfection, and that in their 
arguments in favor of this their deplorable system, 
they reject with scorn all books, and all authors : 
but Equitation is confessedly a science ; every science 
is founded upon principles, and they must indispen- 
sably be necessary, because what is truly just and 
beautiful cannot depend upon chance. What indeed 
is to be expected from a man, who has no other 
guide than a long-continued practice, and who must 
of necessity labor under very great uncertainties? 
Incapable of accounting rationally for what he does, 
it must be impossible for him to enlighten me, or 
communicate to me the knowledge which he fancies 
himself possessed of. How then can I look upon 
such a man as a master? On the other hand, what 
advantages may I not obtain from the instructions 
of a person whom theory enables to comprehend 
and feel the effects of his slightest operations, and 



22 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

who can explain to me such principles as an age of 
constant practice only could never put me into a way 
of acquiring? Equitation does, to be sure, require 
also a constant, and an assiduous exercise. Habit, 
and a continual practice will go a great way in all 
exercises, which depend on the mechanics of the 
body, but, unless this mechanism is properly fixed, 
and supported on the solid basis of theory, errors 
will be the inevitable consequence. The knowledge 
of a horse is vulgarly thought so familiar, and the 
means of dressing him so general and so common, 
that you can hardly meet with a man who does not 
flatter himself that he has succeeded in both points, 
and while masters, who sacrifice every hour of their 
life to attain knowledge, still find themselves im- 
merged in darkness and obscurity, men the most un- 
informed imagine that they have attained the sum- 
mit of perfection, and in consequence thereof sup- 
press the least inclination of learning even the first 
elements, a blind, and a boundless presumption is the 
characteristic of ignorance; the fruits of long study, 
and application amount to a discovery of fresh 
difficulties, at the sight of which a diligent man, 
very far from over-rating his own merit, redoubles 
his efforts in pursuit of fresh knowledge." 



Applying Scientific Principles 23 

Truer words on the subject were seldom penned, 
and all that Lord Pembroke advises for Army In- 
structors applies equally well to teachers and to 
many horse-trainers outside the Army. The Briton 
and the American have, as a rule, better legs for the 
saddle than any Continental European, and should 
settle into it more easily than he, and therefore excel 
in every branch of equitation. Some of the best 
horses in the world are bred in the British Isles and 
in America, and the only pity of it is that so many 
of the former are allowed to go abroad, though de- 
fenders of the practice no doubt rightly urge that 
this is an incentive to breeding valuable stock. 

Lord Pembroke's advice, which presumably was 
that a scientific school of equitation should be estab- 
lished for the Army, similar to those now found in 
Vienna, Pinerolo, Hanover, Ypres, and Saumur, all 
of which I have seen, was not followed for over a 
hundred years, and history shows us the result so 
far as the Army is concerned. In 1802 a Hanover- 
ian named Captain Quist was appointed to command 
the Riding House at Woolwich, with a view to 
teaching the Artillery to ride. In 1815 a Prussian 
riding master was s«nt over to instruct our Cavalry. 



24 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

and in 1904 a deputation of English officers visited 
Saumur and found plenty to learn there. Two 
cavalry officers were lately sent to Saumur in order 
to qualify as instructors for our Cavalry School at 
Netheravon, which came into existence after the 
Boer War. Let us hope that in 201 1 we shall be 
in a position to take pupils from other nations. 

The professional civilian teacher of riding is very 
often a retired soldier, so those outside the Army 
should eventually profit from Government money 
judiciously spent at Netheravon or the Riding Estab^ 
lishment. As in James I's time, the formation of 
scientific civilian schools in different parts of the 
country is out of the question at present from a 
financial point of view, as there is no demand for 
them ; but I have great hopes that in course of time 
the British riding public will become alive to the fact 
that well-made horses are uncommon, and that no 
hunting man, breeder, or horse dealer can go any- 
where to learn how to train them and at the same 
time improve his own riding ; or to have his children 
taught equitation in a thorough and practical 
manner. 



11 

SEATS 



II 

SEATS 

" He grew unto his seat ; 
And to such wond'rous doing brought his horse, 
As he had been incorps'd and demy-natured 
With the brave beast." 

Hamlet^ Act iv., Scene 7. 

T3EF0RE putting the pupil on the horse, it will 
be as well to consider firstly what he has to 
be taught, and secondly the easiest way of doing it ; 
when these two problems have been solved the work 
can be undertaken with confidence and with a knowl- 
edge of what to look for and what to avoid during 
the process of teaching a man to ride. 

Although differing considerably as to the best 
method of instruction, experts nearly all agree that 
the first three things to go for are balance, knee and 
thigh grip, and getting the pupil split up and well 
down into his saddle. The use of the hand and of 
the lower part of the leg may well be left until the 

pupil has a more or less firm and balanced seat. 

27 



28 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Although balance and grip are both component 
parts of a man's seat on horseback, yet '' seat " it- 
self is so distinct a subject, from the point of view 
of the various styles in use in historical and modern 
times, with the reasons governing their adoption, 
as to merit separate consideration, and instructors 
of riding should have some knowledge of how the 
evolution of the present-day seat on a horse was ac- 
complished. Many of the well-known writers on 
horsemanship have alluded more or less fully to the 
subject, but in so discursive a manner as not to 
bring clearly before the reader the gradual changes 
which have taken place in the accepted manner of 
sitting a horse, all of which have had their justifica- 
tion in the conditions obtaining at the time. 

Four varieties of seat are mentioned in the 
standard works on riding — the Haute Ecole seat, 
with the leg straight ; the military seat, with the leg 
slightly bent; the hunting seat, with the leg rather 
higher; and what is variously described by old 
authors as the Turkish, Eastern, or ancient Spanish 
seat, which now figures in a more exaggerated form 
as the American flat-racing seat, with the thigh 
practically horizontal. It is a mistake to suppose 



Seats 29 

that the bent knee came in with the stirrups : stirrups 
were not invented until the fifth century, and were 
not common till the twelfth, yet history proves 
clearly that the ancient Eastern nations rode with 
the leg bent. Bas-reliefs in the Assyrian section of 
the British Museum show the seats in vogue in the 
eighth and ninth centuries b. c, and further evi- 
dence is furnished by the Parthenon frieze, tempo 
440 B. c. In the relief which represents horsemen 
flying before the Assyrians, the rider's knee is nearl3' 
as high as it would be in the present-day racing seat. 
Set a man who has never ridden before on to a 
horse which is standing still, and you will find that 
he sits in practically the same way as the warrior 
in another of the bas-reliefs, of about 750 b. c. ; 
which goes to prove that this position, which is 
neither more nor less than the present-day hunting 
seat, is a natural one, and that all others are ac- 
quired. The early riders probably adopted it as be- 
ing the most comfortable for both man and horse on 
long-distance journeys, and when crossing rough 
country. From an anatomical point of view they 
were correct, that is to say, if the reader agrees 
with me in thinking that a man should sit in his 



30 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

saddle and not ride on his fork. The two ** sitting 
bones " in front, and the sacrum behind the pelvis, 
form the triangular base of the seat, as Sidney so 
graphically explains, and the angle of the thighs 
depends on their make and shape and on the width 
of the pelvis. The Eastern nations have persisted 
in this seat, and I will endeavor to show why Euro- 
peans adopted the straight-legged seat for a period, 
and why they have now returned to riding shorter. 

War has always influenced the art of horseman- 
ship, especially in the West. It is, therefore, not 
surprising to find the great warrior and student of 
equitation Xenophon, who was born 430 B. c, writ- 
ing as follows in his treatise on riding: 

" Whether he uses a cloth ^ or rides upon the bare 
back we should not have him sit as one who drives 
a chariot, but as if he were standing erect with his 
legs somewhat astride, for thus his thighs will cling 
closer to his horse, and being upright, he will be 
better able to wield his lance and shield With more 
force." 

This " war seat " did not become common in 
Europe for some time. A statue of Caligula on 

1 The Greeks used " clothes " or housings, and not saddles. 



Seats 31 

horseback, date about 37 a. d., which is in the 
British Museum, shows him riding with a bent knee, 
and I am of opinion that the seat never entirely 
superseded the old one for road work and the 
chase. 

The straight-legged seat was undoubtedly general 
on the Continent in the early Middle Ages, when 
knights wore heavy armor and rode in massive 
high-peaked and deeply-curved saddles (Tozer), 
which, indeed, allowed of no other posture. It has 
been freely stated that the straight-legged seat was the 
outcome of the high-peaked saddle, which became 
popular as giving a good support to the rider if he 
were struck. Xenophon's treatise proves the fallacy 
of this theory, because he recommended the position 
at a time when only a cloth was used for a saddle. 
The Normans in the Bayeux tapestry are repre- 
sented as riding with a perfectly straight leg, and 
probably introduced the practice into England; as 
although some historians aver that the Saxons were 
in the habit of riding, they undoubtedly fought on 
foot at Hastings, to which fact King William may 
have owed his victory (Tozer). The reason why 
the mediaeval knights all used this seat in battle and 



32 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

in the lists was probably that not only did it enable 
them to put more weight into the thrust, but they 
were less liable to overbalance backwards after the 
collision than if their knees had been bent and used 
as the pivot. 

On the experience of the knights in armor 
(Sidney) the "High School of Horsemanship" 
was founded, and carried to fantastic perfection in 
England and on the Continent during the period 
when armor had been reduced to a breast-plate and 
back-plate. Exercises much resembling those of the 
more florid Haute Ecole school were, however, com- 
mon amongst the Arab nations from the earliest 
times, and may be witnessed to-day at what are 
known as Arab " fantasias," and these were and are 
carried out with the knee very much bent. It is pos- 
sible that, during the long intercourse between the 
Easterns and the knighthood of Europe at the time 
of the Crusades, the Europeans may have adopted 
some of the methods of their antagonists and sought 
to rival their feats of horsemanship, though without 
imitating their manner of sitting a horse. 

The Cavalier of a later date rode straight-legged 
to war, and, according to contemporary writers, 



Seats 33 

found it " most elegant and graceful " in peace. 
Manege riding of a high order formed one of the 
principal recreations of the gentlemen of the six- 
teenth and seventeenth centuries, who were encour- 
aged to excel by the interest of the fair sex. In 
this they closely resembled the young Romans, who 
were accustomed to ride before the ladies merely to 
display their equestrian skill and address, in the 
hopes of thereby winning their favor. 

There can be no doubt that, with the improve- 
ment in English agriculture and the consequent en- 
closing of the country, a more natural school of 
riders arose amongst gentlemen sportsmen and yeo- 
men, who discovered the difficulties of negotiating 
fences if they rode with a straight hg, the principal 
one being that, unless the knee is farther to the front 
than the body, the latter will pitch forward when the 
horse lands. Not only was the seat less secure when 
jumping with long stirrups, but if the horse pecked 
the rider was liable to injury, as he could not clear 
the pommel. Xenophon's directions for jumping are 
interesting in this connection. He advocates catch- 
ing hold of the mane to avoid giving the horse a job 
in the mouth, which goes to prove that his method 



34 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

of riding was unsuitable for jumping; and New- 
castle remarks : '' Nothing disorders a Horse's 
Mouth more than Leaps." 

Until fox-hunting became general, towards the 
close of the eighteenth century/ it was not con- 
sidered correct to ride with a bent knee. Writing 
in 1805, Adams says that " although gentlemen may 
give their horses a breathing in this style of riding 
in the park, or occasionally over a piece of common 
by the roadside, yet it is not becoming or genteel 
to practise it much on the road." 

Baucher (circa 1850), and every other past mas- 
ter of Haute Ecole — excepting Fillis, if we are to 
judge by his illustrations — rode with a compara- 
tively speaking straight leg, and claimed that this 
seat alone gave that nice equilibrium, light hand, and 
power of leg so indispensable in working the horse 
in advanced manege riding. 

Although Haute Ecole training never seems to 
have been generally popular after hunting com- 
menced over enclosed countries, and is practically 

1 In " Sports and Pursuits of the English," we read that hounds 
were never entered soMy to fox till 1750 ; but in his " Encyclopaedia 
of Rural Sports," Blaine says that the first real steady pack of fox- 
hounds was established in the Western part of England about 1730. 



Seats 35 

unknown In England to-day, up to about 1850 the 
majority of writers on the subject of equitation were 
agreed that the straight-legged seat was the best, 
and the only one to be recommended. These 
authors were not generally hunting men; the latter 
gentlemen, with few exceptions, thought school rid- 
ing and scientific horse-training unworthy of their 
serious consideration. 

The reader may well ask the pertinent ques- 
tion, how came this seat to be the general one in 
America ? and why does the cow-puncher still retain 
it ? I will endeavor to supply answers to both ques- 
tions. Horses became extinct in America before the 
beginning of the historic period (von Zittel) and 
were first reintroduced by the Spaniards in 1537; 
some of these escaped and ran wild, and by 1580 
their descendants had spread over the continent. 

It seems only natural to infer that with the horse 
came the seat of the period, and it has been retained 
to this day by the riders of the plains. It is well 
suited to the horse and to the work of the cow- 
puncher. He has to cross no fences, trotting is un- 
known to him, and as he pivots on his fork he can 
bend and turn at will to throw his rope. Excepting 



36 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

for jumping, the balance of the body must be more 
perfect in this position than it is in the hunting seat, 
as the pivot is higher. 

The straight-legged seat is one to grow into and 
not to acquire after manhood is reached. 

In Tyndale's book on military riding (1797) the 
soldier is shown astride his horse with a perfectly 
straight leg, and the writer states that the plate is 
perfectly true to life ; but I am led to infer that this 
position was only retained in the riding school and 
in peace training under the eye of the Riding Mas- 
ter. Lord Pembroke, in the manual issued by the 
War Office four years before this date, recom- 
mended a seat between the Haute Ecole and the 
hunting with the idea of combining the advantages 
of both, but apparently this had not had any appre- 
ciable effect on the soldier's seat. This will be 
readily understood by those who have been brought 
up in the Army and recognize the conservatism of 
Riding Instructors. During the Napoleonic wars, 
when nearly every soldier became a campaigner, the 
straight-legged seat, and also Lord Pembroke's, 
seem to have been abandoned for the hunting seat, 
as we find that in 181 5, after the declaration of 



Seats ii 

peace, a Prussian riding master was employed under 
the patronage of the Prince Regent to drill our 
Cavalry to ride with a perfectly straight leg again. 
This must have been carried to an extreme, as many 
men were ruptured in the process. Gibbon, a mili- 
tary writer (1825), tells us that every man's thigh 
should lie at an angle of 20 degrees from the per- 
pendicular (as if we were all built precisely alike!), 
and says that any deviation from this position ex- 
poses the rider to some danger or other. 

And now ensued a long period during which there 
was little or no change in the soldier's seat on a 
horse in peace time, although some regiments appear 
to have ridden with shorter stirrups than others ; and 
the outbreak of the South African War in 1899 
found our mounted troops sitting on their forks, the 
exception being the Mounted Infantry, first raised 
some thirty years ago, who were taught their equita- 
tion by combatant officers, and rode with the knee 
bent. Men who went through the Riding Master's 
course at the Cavalry Depot at Canterbury just be- 
fore this war have told me that they were ordered 
to have their spur-rests fitted low on a high heel in 
order to give their leg an even straighter appear- 



38 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

ance. It may surprise some of my readers to be 
told that the Cavalry Schools of France, Italy, and 
Austria had already adopted the hunting seat. 

The campaign in South Africa again proved, as 
the Peninsular War appeared to have done, that the 
straight-legged seat was most wearing to both man 
and horse on the march, and quite unsuitable for 
crossing obstacles. 

Mobility, i. e,, getting on to the battle-field, is 
and must be in the future of far more importance 
than greater efficiency for possible shock action on 
arrival. This latter advantage was not acknowl- 
edged by the Eastern nations, who have never been 
heavy men on heavy horses and charged knee to 
knee. Circling independently on the plain, they 
claim that shortened stirrups give the striker a 
longer reach. Berenger, writing when the straight- 
legged seat was most fashionable in Western Eu- 
rope, said that the Turks rode with their stirrups 
so short that their knees were almost as much bent 
as when sitting on their hams on a sofa, in order to 
" collect themselves better, and to be able to rise up, 
as it were, when they were going to attack an enemy, 
and strike a blow.'* 



Seats 39 

A further disadvantage of the straight-legged 
seat, as far as it concerned the Army, was that it 
demanded a higher standard of horsemanship. 
True balance on the fork is difficult to attain, and 
more often than not it was on his reins that the 
soldier relied for support in riding. The " firm 
hand and light seat " had long been a by-word in 
the service. Optimists will no doubt remark with 
Cesaresco that horses with insensible mouths have 
the advantage of making it possible for many people 
to ride who could not otherwise do so. The modern 
English regulation seat, which is the hunting one, 
should, however, put an end to the above state of 
affairs; and the remark of a famous master of 
hounds, made but a few years ago, that his son rode 
very well until he entered the Army and passed 
through a cavalry riding school, should not hold 
good nowadays. The old-pattern military saddle, 
which is only suited to the seat advocated by Xeno- 
phon, has unfortunately been retained ; the big man 
has the greatest difficulty in getting into it, and is 
most uncomfortable when he gets there. Big and 
small are farther from the horse than need be. 

A good judge and a close follower of racing for 



40 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

the last thirty years or so tells me that before Tod 
Sloan's appearance on the English turf in 1897 the 
flat-racing seat had got into a ridiculous extreme, 
most of the jockeys riding as if they had pokers 
down their backs, which had by no means been the 
case in the days of Tom Cannon, Archer, and Ford- 
ham, the last named having indeed often been 
spoken of as looking like a monkey on a horse. 
The first exponent of the American flat-racing seat 
(Plate II) in England was Sims, who rode Eau 
Gallic in the Crawford Plate at Newmarket in 1895, 
but it was left to Tod Sloan two years later to reap 
historic successes. He was a marvelous horseman, 
and for a time at least had few rivals in the new art, 
which is eminently one either to excel in or to let 
alone. Good judges will tell you that there are only 
half a dozen jockeys on the English turf who are 
first-class riders in the new style, and that the re- 
mainder would do very much better to go back to 
the old methods, but this they are hardly likely to do, 
and even steeplechase jockeys are shortening their 
stirrups, two notable examples being Parfrement 
(the French jockey), and Newry, both winners of 
the Grand National at Liverpool. 



1 



Seats 4X 

According to Dodge, author of " Riders in Many 
Lands," the crouching seat was the old Red Indian 
one, but I have been told that its value for flat-rac- 
ing was discovered in the following manner. 

A racing man went out West to try and pick up 
something useful at " outside " meetings, where he 
found that horses were generally ridden by black 
men, who sat very much after the manner of mon- 
keys at a circus, with a firm hold of the mane, and 
with their thighs horizontal. The visitor bought 
one of the successful horses, thinking that it would 
be a gold mine when properly ridden by a white 
jockey, but to his great surprise it was always 
beaten, until he bethought him of putting up the 
negro again. The return of his purchase to its 
proper form now gave the owner food for thought, 
and he was intelligent enough to hit upon the true 
reason for the colored man's success, which was 
soon emulated by most of the white riders in the 
country. 

The advantage of the American seat, briefly, is 
that it allows of the rider's weight being carried in 
the right place for speed — i. e., well over the 
withers, which is very much farther forward than 



42 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

is possible with even the straight-legged seat. This 
gives the horse increased power of propulsion, and 
the crouching attitude adopted by the rider reduces 
wind-pressure to a minimum. I have been told by 
a well-known owner that rogues go better if ridden 
in this manner, which would seem to point to the 
fact that it is more comfortable for the horse for a 
short distance. 

This is the bright side of the picture, but no one 
can say that the American seat is an easy one; the 
only part of the rider's body to touch the saddle is 
his leg from the knee downwards, and all his grip- 
ping must be done with this surface alone. Balance 
is rendered extremely difficult, and the same may be 
said of the use of the lower part of the leg. A few 
jockeys can spur their horses, but the majority 
merely punish the flaps, and it is not uncommon 
after a race to find spur-marks in front of the 
saddle. It is obvious that with no support to either 
the thighs or the seat, all but the very best riders 
must depend largely on the reins for maintaining* 
their balance, and must lose the greater part of tlicir 
control over shifty, uncertain, or awkw^ard horses. 
It is much harder to use the whip when this seat 



Seats 43 

is adopted — in fact, jockeys have been known to 
miss their mounts altogether ; as far as the horse is 
concerned, his forelegs would tire and eventually 
wear out if he habitually carried too much weight 
on them. It is certain that the American seat will 
never be adopted for all-round riding. 

As Mr. Jorrocks said, the seat a man finds easiest 
to himself " will in all humane probability be the 
easiest to his 'oss." 

The loosely-named hunting seat is certainly the 
one for all-round work; whatever power of pro- 
pulsion the horse loses from having to carry the 
weight farther back is amply compensated for by 
the pain and fatigue he escapes when ridden over 
fences, or with his rider bumping to the trot along 
a hard road in the straight-legged seat. 

No fixed rule can be laid down as to the correct 
height of a man's knee in the hunting seat; every- 
thing depends upon his make and shape. The fat- 
thighed man must naturally ride shorter than he 
who is built for the saddle, but if the stirrups are 
too short, balance is sacrificed; on the other hand, 
if the leg is too straight the inside of the knee and 
thigh becomes round, which makes gripping more 



44 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

difficult (Hayes). It will also be found that, owing 
to their diversity of action, different horses require 
to be ridden with longer or shorter stirrups. In 
1909 at the Military Tournament the Rough-Riders 
from the Royal Artillery Riding Establishment, 
using the hunting seat, sat perfectly without either 
reins or stirrups over a 5 ft. 5 in. rail — one horse 
jumping 6 ft. — besides other formidable obstacles, 
which proves that no better seat could be wanted for 
practical work. 

It must be understood that all my future remarks 
on instruction in riding will refer to the attainment 
of the hunting seat alone. 



Ill 

BALANCE 



Ill 

BALANCE 

" It is from the loins that he must really ride when all is said and 
done." Whyte Melville. 

" He that would venture nothing must not get on a horse." 

Spanish Proverb. 

T> ALANCE, \. e., the mechanical adjustment of 
the body to the movements of the horse, is 
the foundation of all good riding. It is the most 
difficult of all things to teach, and is more quickly 
acquired by men with pluck and nerve than by those 
who lack self-confidence. The secret of its attain- 
ment is suppleness of the body from the hips up- 
wards ; Pembroke righly remarks that '' good riding- 
is incompatible with stiffness." The heavily-topped 
man with short lesfs is theoreticallv at a disadvantao-e 
as a horseman, because his center of gravity is 
higher, and therefore farther from the saddle. Nor- 
mally it is at about the height of an imaginary line 
running horizontally through the hips. Once learnt, 
balance is quite instinctive. 

47 



48 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Some devotees of the straight-legged seat have 
written that man should ride by balance, and I have 
met Boers who used no girths, but this practice 
and the other comfortable theory would break down 
were jumping to be undertaken, or the riding of 
anything but a well-trained horse on the flat, who 
would be sure not to make what some writers term 
" reactions." Under any more strenuous conditions 
the rider cannot poise his body to balance it unless 
the knees are firm on the saddle. 

For instructional purposes the principle of bal- 
ance on horseback should be considered under three 
aspects : the first when the horse is advancing in a 
straight line; the second when he inclines his body 
inwards in the act of turning — the degree of inclina- 
tion being determined by the pace at which he is 
traveling ; and the third when the horse is jumping. 

In the first case, all the rider has to be taught to 
do in the initial stages is to sit in an easy position 
with his seat well under him in the center of the sad- 
dle, and to look between the horse's ears. In this and 
in the third aspects the security of the rider's seat 
depends on the application of his weight with refer- 
ence to the perpendicular; at very fast paces the 







03 



u 



a; 

-4-J 

c3 

r— < 



Balance 49 

man's body is of course inclined forward to coun- 
teract the forces acting against it. A different rea- 
son dictates to the rider that he should lean forward 
to rise at the trot. He does this to shift his center 
of gravity farther forward and therefore more over 
the fulcrum : i. e., the knees, thus making the body 
easier to lift. 

In the second case, when the horse leans inwards 
to turn, the rider's body must be in the same plane 
— that is to say, at the same angle as the horse's 
(Plate III). If it remains perpendicular with the 
ground, as when riding straight forward, the pupil 
will have a tendency to fall off outwards ; if he leans 
more inwards than the horse, he will conversely fall 
off inwards. Therefore when turns are first prac- 
tised the instructor must center his attention on 
persuading the pupil to incline his body with that of 
the horse, exactly as he would on a bicycle; centri- 
fugal force alters the plane of the horse's body, and 
the rider must conform. 

In teaching a man how to poise his body in order 
to maintain its balance when jumping, the directions 
given in many books should be disregarded, includ- 
ing the text-book ( 1907) of the British Army. The 



50 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

child on the rocking-horse keeps his body practically- 
perpendicular to the ground whilst the horse rocks, 
if he is not bearing on the reins; he appears to lean 
backwards and forwards, but this is an ocular de- 
ception caused by the rocking movements. When 
the boy learns to ride on leaving the nursery he is 
often told to sit well back when going at any fence 
but a bank, and the true balance he may have ac- 
quired as an infant is sacrificed. The position he is 
now taught to assume in the saddle makes holding 
on by the reins a necessity if he is not to tumble back- 
wards off his pony when it rises. 

The rocking-horse does not, however, move for- 
ward, and if the reader stands on an advancing plat- 
form he will find that to maintain his equilibrium he 
must lean more or less forward, according to the 
pace at which the platform is traveling. 

Plates IV and V show the correct balance of the 
body when the horse rises and when he is in the mid- 
dle of his jump, the pace being a slow canter in both 
cases; it will be seen that the preponderance of the 
rider's weight in either picture is on the forward 
side of a line passing through the man's hips and 
perpendicular with the ground. In Plate VI, as 




(J 



o 

03 



o 



03 



O 
O 

O 



> 

-t-t 

03 




o 
O 



o 



a, 






Oh 

o 



o 

c 

o 
o 
O 



> 

-t-> 




ce 

a 



u 

c 
pq 






Balance 51 

the horse shown is moving much faster and as the 
pace must regulate the degree of incHnation, the 
rider's body is in this case incHned more forward, in 
order to preserve true balance. 

Plate VII illustrates the evil effect of letting the 
body get behind the perpendicular at either of these 
phases of the jump ; the rider depicted in it had, to 
my certain knowledge, excellent gripping power, but 
grip alone was not enough on this occasion ; the man 
had no reins to hold on by, and he therefore fell off 
backwards. I have witnessed many falls from the 
same cause, and the skeptic can at once prove the 
correctness of the statement by dropping his reins 
at a fence. 

Let us now consider the poise of the body when 
the horse is in the act of descending. If the reader 
will stand up on the car of a switch-back in motion 
he will find that to maintain his equilibrium he will 
have to lean forward when going downhill, and the 
difference between this movement and that of land- 
ing over a fence is that at slow paces the horse gener- 
ally dwells when he lands, whereas the switchback 
makes no pause at the bottom of the incline. Care- 
ful observation extending over a lengthened period, 



52 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

and assisted by photographic experiments, has led 
me to the conclusion that in landing over a fence at a 
canter the rider depicted in Plate VIII has got his 
body as far back as possible with due regard to 
safety, and that this poise can only be assumed at a 
slow pace and on a horse which dwells on landing. 
If the animal is very quick away after jumping at a 
canter the rider is apt to be left if his body is not 
slightly on the forward side of the perpendicular 
with the ground. I must here impress upon the 
reader that for the rider to get behind the perpen- 
dicular when landing over a big fence he must lean 
back to a considerable degree from his hips. The 
Italians say that the body should be in front of the 
perpendicular to the horse on the downward plane 
and when landing; this is a necessary corollary to 
their method of riding, and they hold their reins 
shorter than we do in England. The objections to 
this practice, excepting perhaps for steeplechasing, 
will be referred to later on In the section on the 
" Use and Misuse of the Hands." 

Any amateur who has ridden a gallop at a 
trainer's will have experienced to his discomfiture 
how quickly a well-schooled horse gets away on 




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Balance 53 

landing, and how the reins alone have saved him if 
he has been leaning back. Go to any steeplechase 
meeting in England and observe the poise of the 
jockey's bodies as the horse is on the downward 
plane; you will find that about sixty per cent, are 
sitting more or less as depicted in Plate IX, and the 
remaining forty per cent, are leaning back — some 
even behind the perpendicular. In a kindly review 
of this book in an English magazine, the writer 
asserts that the jockey in the above-mentioned plate 
does not bear out my argument, as he has been 
jerked forward by the shock of landing. I would 
ask the reader to study the position of the rider's 
arms and the length of his reins ; if he had been lean- 
ing back before his horse's fore-legs touched the 
ground, the animal's head would have been pulled 
up into an impossible position. 

This statement concerning steeplechase jockeys is 
not perhaps easy to believe, and a well-known rider 
who has won the National affirms that it is ridic- 
ulous, particularly over that course. I was, how- 
ever, enabled to verify it by the kindness of the 
" Warwick Trading Company," who gave me a 
private exhibition on the bioscope of the best pro- 



54 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

fessional and amateur jockeys negotiating every 
class of fence on practically every steeplechase 
course. 

It seems to me that if we hold to the instructions 
of our fathers and throw the body behind the per- 
pendicular on landing, we are acting as if a blunder 
and not a clean jump were the rule in steeplechasing 
and hunting. It may be argued that by doing so we 
lighten the horse's forehand and thus help to save a 
fall if he pecks, but on the other hand it reduces his 
pace and makes interference with his head and neck 
at a critical moment almost a certainty. This last 
point will be fully discussed in the " Use and Mis- 
use of the Hands." When the horse does blunder, 
the body should be thrown back if possible, and the 
same thing applies to stumbling. 

We now come to the case when leaning forward 
is overdone for practical riding, which is at '' show 
jumping." It is a common thing at a horse show to 
see the English professional rider landing with his 
chest touching the horse's neck (see Plate X), and 
this is done to take the weight off the animal's quar- 
ters and make him less likely to strike the obstacle 
with his hind-legs. The practice is mechanically 



I 



Balance 55 

correct as far as the horse's jumping is concerned, 
but the rider will in all probability fall off if the 
animal makes a mistake. Even if he were going at 
top speed, so much deviation from the perpendicular 
would make balance impossible ; the rider can, how- 
ever, maintain his seat by firm grip if all goes well, 
as his body is poised in the direction in which the 
horse's body is being propelled, and not as in Plate 
VII. Another disadvantage of this show jumping 
posture is, that increased weight comes on the fore- 
hand on landing. 

Hayes, in " Points of the Horse," and in his arti- 
cle on riding in the " Encyclopaedia of Sport," says 
that the body should be leant back when the horse 
rises at a fence in order to lighten the forehand and 
assist the horse in the rearing up which is his first 
movement in jumping; he can never have experi- 
mented without reins, or he would have found out 
the evils of the practice. Mechanically, with refer- 
ence to the horse only, his statement is open to seri- 
ous argument, as apparently he had neglected the 
force of propulsion, and the angle of its application. 
In negotiating a " drop," the force of gravity makes 
the angle of descent of the horse steeper, and the 



56 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

rider's head will naturally come nearer to the horse's 
croup. 

To the reader who is interested in this subject, 
I would suggest the experiment of placing himself 
near a small fence or hurdle the next time he is out 
hunting, and watching the field jump it. He will 
then see how many people retain their balance by 
means of the reins. 



IV 

KNEE AND THIOH GRIP 



IV 

KNEE AND THIGH GRIP 

'* When fastened like glue to the saddle 
We gallop astern of the pack." 

Tarporley Hunting Song, 1855. 

^TT^HE man who has never been on a horse prob- 
ably has very little development of the partic- 
ular muscles used in riding; and however strong* he 
may be naturally, he cannot have much confidence in 
himself when asked to apply them for the first time 
on an animal he most likely regards with awe. Two 
sets of muscles, the flexor at the groin, which keeps 
the knee up, and the adductor grip muscles, have to 
be developed before a satisfactory seat can be at- 
tained. The process by which this may be done is a 
branch of the art of training athletes which does not 
always receive the attention it deserves. Before a 
man learns to drive four horses it is necessary that 
he should strengthen the muscles of his shoulders, 
arms, and fingers by manipulating dummy reins with 

weights attached to them, if quick results are to be 

59 



6o Modern Riding and Horse Education 

obtained when he gets on to the box, and the same 
principle must apply to the thigh muscles of the man 
who is to be taught riding. The polo player not 
only uses the dummy pony to get his eye in, but also 
to strengthen his arm and wrist, and incidentally 
his thighs. 

The fact that grip can only be obtained by mus- 
cular contraction renders its constant application im- 
possible on the score of fatigue; its early acquire- 
ment is nevertheless most important to give the pupil 
confidence. If a man feels he has sufficient grip 
power to help him he will more quickly learn bal- 
ance. 

Certain exercises will develop the flexor and ad- 
ductor muscles ; they may be gone through either on 
a horse or on a dummy horse, and should be in- 
creased gradually. If possible, the pupil should be 
put through them once a day for about ten days 
before his instruction in riding commences. They 
should be continued during the first part of the 
course, and not in the hours allotted to riding. The 
instructor must bear in mind that it is useless to 
exercise a tired muscle, and he will find that the man 
can accomplish but little during the first few days. 



Knee and Thigh Grip 6i 

Where there is a constant flow of pupils, a small 
number of dummy horses will well repay their initial 
cost. They can be made from a short piece of the 
trunk of a tree, having approximately the same girth 
as a horse, or a small barrel standing on four props. 
The top of the trunk or barrel should be fitted to 
take a saddle, and should be about four feet from the 
ground. The place where the knee lies may be hol- 
lowed out and stuffed with hay to give a softer 
grip. The wood below the level of the knee should 
be cut away to prevent the rider from obtaining any 
assistance from the lower part of the leg. Supervi- 
sion is simpler if a dummy horse is used, as the in- 
structor is more on a level with his pupil ; the latter 
will not be preoccupied with the management of 
his horse, and will learn from the first to be entirely 
independent of his reins as far as his seat is con- 
cerned. 

Dummy horses are also useful for teaching 
mounting and saddling, besides bridling and hold- 
ing the reins if there is a head; their employment 
for instructional purposes is not a new idea : Vege- 
tius wrote that wooden horses were used in early 
times to teach vaulting on to the horse (Berenger). 



62 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Early in 1907 three of these horses were set up in 
the gallery of one of the Riding Establishment's 
riding schools at Woolwich, and the exercises given 
below practised on them. 

It is important that the pupil should be placed 
well down in the saddle before commencing. 

I wish to lay stress on this point, which is often 
neglected by instructors. The exercises lose half 
their value if the pupil sits on the back of the 
saddle. 

The following are the exercises, the first two 
being the most important : — 

1. Rising from the knee with stirrups. 

2. Rising from the knee without stirrups (at a 
later stage). 

3. Touching the foot with the hand on each side, 
with and without stirrups. 

4. Leaning forwards and backwards in the sad- 
dle, with and without stirrups. 

5. Swinging the lower part of the leg to the rear, 
and towards the horse's side, so that it describes 
a circular motion. 

In all the foregoing exercises the knee should be 



Knee and Thigh Grip 63 

kept firm on the saddle, and no assistance derived 
from the lower part of the leg. 

6. Relaxing and tightening the knee and thigh 
grip. 

The first four exercises make the body supple 
from the hips ; 3 and 4, which are taken out of the 
British Cavalry Training Manual, make excellent 
balancing exercises at a trot and canter when the 
pupirs instruction in riding is some way advanced, 
and No. 5 is a modification of an exercise recom- 
mended by Baucher. I have given them a long and 
thorough trial, and am convinced of their great 
value; the beginner who has not undergone them 
and is allowed to ride with reins will always raise 
himself out of the saddle when rising at the trot 
by pulling on the reins, instead of by using his knee. 

The reader who wishes to teach a child to ride 
may or may not decide to follow this procedure, hav- 
ing plenty of time at his disposal : I can only say 
that I have tried it with youths of between thirteen 
and fifteen years of age with the most excellent re- 
sults, and that it would seem obviously safer with 
very young children to lessen the risk of danger- 
ous falls, which must frequently occur where, as is 



64 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

usually the case, a little boy rides entirely by balance 
and by the help of the reins for months and even 
years after his first riding lesson. 

My successor at the Riding Establishment, Major 
the Hon. W. D. Sclater Booth, R.H.A., has im- 
proved and enlarged upon the idea of the dummy 
horse (Plates XI and XII), by mounting it on 
rockers and converting it into a full-sized child's 
" rocking-horse," for the purpose of teaching the ele- 
ments of fore-and-aft balance, and the movements of 
the shoulders, elbows, and wrists in jumping. The 
horse's throat works on a hinge and is connected 
with the nose by pulleys and weights, so that when 
the dummy is in motion the action of the bending 
and stretching of a horse's neck is represented. The 
pulley and weights are not shown in the illustration. 

This elaboration of the dummy horse permits of 
exercises which have more life and movement, and 
relieves the tyro of all fear of monotony. In addi- 
tion to the exercises already given, for which the 
horse should be fixed, the following may be prac- 
tised : — 

I. An instructor rocking the horse, the pupil 
swings his body backwards and forwards. 




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Knee and Thigh Grip 65 

2. The same as No. i, the pupil holding the 
reins and shooting out his arms from the shoulder 
as the horse descends. 

3. Sitting with arms folded, and rocking the 
horse by swinging the upper part of the body. This 
exercise especially develops the thigh muscles. 

It is obvious that much better results are obtained 
from preliminary exercises on this rocking-horse 
than on the fixed dummy horse. 

Rider's strain is by no means uncommon, and is 
most painful and tiresome. Major Philip G. levers, 
Royal Army Medical Corps (retired), tells me that 
he has cured many cases by the use of the following 
contrivance. — 

(Fig. i). A pulley, which can be purchased with 
a screw attached to it, may be fastened to a beam or 
any wooden structure in the ceiling. The weight 
should be of seven or eight pounds to commence 
with, gradually increased to twelve pounds; it 
should be from two to three feet from the ground 
when the foot-loop rests on the ground, thus allow- 
ing sufficient play for the motion of the foot to be of 
a semi-rotatory character. The exercise should be 



66 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

practised daily for from five to ten minutes at first, 
and later on for fifteen minutes or more. A fort- 
night or three weeks generally makes the muscle 
quite strong. 





Fig. I. 



V 

GETTING DOWN INTO THE SADDLE 



V 



GETTING DOWN INTO THE SADDLE 

" As he rammed down his hat, and got home in his seat, 
This rum one to follow, this bad one to beat." 

Whyte Melville. 

N Other words, this simply means being part 
and parcel with your horse ; sitting in the sad- 
dle and not on it. 

The pupil will take some time to attain this de- 
sirable end unless he does a certain amount of rid- 
ing without stirrups during his course, and when 
he is using them they should not be fitted too short. 
There is a general tendency nowadays in this direc- 
tion, and it is not, in my opinion, to be encouraged 
for beginners. For an exaggerated example of this 
we have only to go to the flat-racing stable. Here 
boys practically commence riding with their thighs 
horizontal, with the result that we have such good 
judges as Messrs. Richard Marsh, Tom Cannon 

Senior, and S. Darling deploring the deterioration 

69 



70 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

of the flat-race jockeys of to-day. As previously 
mentioned, the balance of the body with short stir- 
rups is difficult even for the finished horseman ; how 
much more so for the beginner. The heavier lads 
in an English racing stable who are selected to 
" make " the yearlings use stirrups of the usual 
length, and they are the conspicuously better horse- 
men for ordinary riding. 

Baucher was a believer in the following exercise 
for getting the pupil well split up : " He will remove 
one of his thighs as far as possible from the quar- 
ters of the saddle, and afterwards replace it with a 
rotatory movement from without inwards, in order 
to make it adhere to the saddle by as many points 
of contact as possible." . 

To cure round thighs, another experienced 
teacher, who was for some time responsible for 
equitation in our Army, claimed that good results 
came from putting the hand under the fleshy part of 
the thigh when in the saddle, and pulling it out- 
wards. I do not consider that in either case the re- 
sults would justify the expenditure of time and trou- 
ble. If the instructor has placed the pupil well into 
his saddle on the dummy horse, his labors in this 



Getting Down into the Saddle 71 

respect will be lightened when riding proper com- 
mences. 

The round, fat-thighed man is physically pre- 
vented from getting well down into the saddle, and 
is therefore not so favorably placed for retaining 
his seat as his longer-legged and more flat-thighed 
brother. 



VI 

THE ONi: AID AND THE INDICATIONS 



VI 

THE ONE AID AND THE INDICATIONS 

" Any fool can learn to ride a horse, but it takes an accomplished 
man to be a horseman." Old French Saying. 

" Man and horse should be one perfect whole ; . . . when it is not, 
there is no meaning between man and horse, they talk different 
languages and all is confusion." Berenger. 

VI7HEN the pupil has acquired a firm and well- 
balanced seat, the instructor's next aim 
must be to teach the use to which the movement of 
the body from the hips upwards can be put for alter- 
ing the distribution of the weight; as also the use 
of the hand, the lower part of the leg, the voice, the 
whip, and the spur, experts having very different 
opinions on all these points. They are referred 
to in nearly all books as the " aids," and to the 
average Englishman who has not been through a 
military riding school the word is shrouded in mys- 
tery, and usually associated with Haute Ecole work ; 
yet every time he rides he makes use of one aid 
and several indications to make his horse do what he 

wants. 

75 



76 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Generally speaking, the word '' aids " is a mis- 
nomer; there is only one hona-Ude aid — the move- 
ment of the body from the hips upwards. Of the 
others, Greenwood writes : " Common sense tells 
ns that a horse receives no aid from a pull in the 
mouth with a piece of iron, or a blow from a whip 
or kick in the side from an armed heel." The hands 
can regulate a horse's pace to keep him from floun- 
dering in a plough ; the legs can indicate to him what 
we wish him to do with his hind-quarters, and can 
put him into his bridle, but they are no mechanical 
aid to his movements. The voice may encourage 
him, but, again, it cannot aid. 

I have before me as I write the so-called '' aids " 
recommended in the English, French, German, 
Italian, and Austo-Hungarian cavalry drill-books, to 
make a horse strike off at a canter with whichever 
leg the rider desires. They do not all agree, and 
in matters of detail are often diametrically different, 
whilst many of the directions given are very in- 
volved. The " aids " in the British military text- 
book have been changed more than once. 

A combined use of the aid and the indications, of 
the simplest possible character, and violating no 



The One Aid and the Indications 77 

principle of elementary mechanics, will be given later 
in the section devoted to instructional exercises, and 
I v^all there deal with each one separately, but must 
insist on the sound principle that their use can only 
be properly taught when the pupil has acquired a 
firm seat, although he should be shown from the first 
how to start his horse at a walk, etc., and how to 
turn him — this much he can accomplish. 

When the pupil is receiving instruction in the use 
of the aid and the indications, he should be mounted 
on a horse that will obey them properly when ap- 
plied. It is not an uncommon practice to mount the 
beginner on a horse with an iron mouth, and a flank 
with about as much feeling in it as a brick wall — 
or perhaps it would be more correct to say, a flank 
that is totally unresponsive to the rider's signals ; the 
instructor is then very much annoyed when neither 
horse nor man will do what is required of him. 



VII 

DISTRIBUTION OP THE RIDER'S 'WBIGHT 



VII 

DISTRIBUTION OF THE RIDER'S WEIGHT 

"The Tartars have in all ages been famous under different names 
for their love of horses, and skill in riding. It is a practice with 
them, says an author, ... to tye the reins of their bridles to their 
girdles, and by the motions of their bodies alone to govern and direct 
their horses ; putting them into different attitudes, and making them 
perform a variety of evolutions." Berenger. 

^"p^HE rider can help, hinder, or assume a neutral 
attitude towards the movements of his horse, 
by poising the upper part of the body so as to bring 
more weight to bear on a particular leg or legs, or 
by taking the weight of it off them. This is an aid 
which is not very generally understood, and is ex- 
tremely valuable, as it is not dependent on the sensi- 
tiveness of the horse's mouth or sides. 

When there is no weight on the horse's back he 
can be taught to move in any particular way through 
the medium of signs given by the reins, or by the 
whip and voice. It does not at all follow that the 

same indications will make different horses do the 

8i 



S2 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

same things ; for instance, a horse can be taught to 
come to the whip, that is to say, to come to you when 
struck, or to fly from you at the same signal ; to go 
faster as the pressure of the reins gets stronger, 
like an American trotter, or to pull up under similar 
treatment; the whole thing is a matter of training. 
Put a man on a horse's back and he can teach the 
animal to do various things when certain indications 
of the hands and legs are applied, but he can make 
it physically difficult for the horse to obey him by a 
false distribution of the weight of his own body. 
Lean over and towards a horse's fore-leg when he is 
standing still, and he will not move it comfortably; 
you have so weighted it as to make it easier for him 
to get the other off the ground. The simplest practi- 
cal demonstration of the soundness of this principle 
is to place yourself on all fours on the ground, let 
somebody get on to your back and lean towards 
your right hand, and then try to move it. Or with 
no one on your back you can make up your mind to 
move one particular hand, and you will find that be- 
fore doing so you must lighten it by shifting the 
weight of the upper part of your body on to the 
other arm. 



Distribution of the Rider's Weight 83 

In the light of the above paragraph it is easy to 
understand how the horse is helped in turning if 
the rider poises his body so as to weight the leg the 
horse uses as a pivot. For example, in turning on 
the quarters to the right, the body should be leant 
back and to the right. Conversely, it helps the horse 
if we lighten the leg he wishes to strike off with at 
a canter. The French, Austrians, and Italians do so 
in the following manner : for commencing the canter 
on a straight line with, say, the off fore-leg leading, 
the man rests his weight on his left buttock, at the 
same time leaning slightly back, thus making it 
easier for the horse to move the desired leg. 

When canterino- on a small circle the horse 
naturally moves with his inward leg leading, either 
with or without a man on his back. If he is being 
longed with a single rein and cavesson and is going 
unwillingly — that is to say with a pull on the rein — 
his head will be brought in and his outward shoulder 
will be forward; this may make him lead with the 
outward leg, but it cannot be taken as a test, as his 
hind-legs will be working on a larger circumference 
than his fore-legs : in fact, the horse is not moving 
on a true circle at all. 



84 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

The theory has often been advanced that the 
horse leads with his inward leg to support the weight 
of the rider as he inclines his body towards the 
center of the circle in obedience to centrifugal force, 
but as the animal does just the same thing when 
riderless we must look for another explanation. 
This seems to me to lie in the fact that it is mechani- 
cally easier for the horse, because the inward leg is 
moving on a smaller circle than the outer one; it 
would be very awkward for the animal to lead with 
the latter, and would also expose him to the danger 
of crossing his fore-legs and falling. 

Centrifugal force is accountable for the fact 
that the rider's weight is about evenly distributed 
though he and the horse lean inwards. A vehicle 
always upsets outwards when driven too fast round 
a corner, which shows that the weight is on the outer 
wheels : the carriage cannot lean inwards like a liv- 
ing body to adjust the distribution of the weight. 

Centrifugal force is also responsible for the swing 
of the body not being a " false " aid when teaching 
the young horse to change his legs in a figure-of- 
eight; on a trained horse it should, when necessary, 
make him do so at once. 



Distribution of the Rider's Weight 85 

The correct attitude of the body when jumping, 
and the evil results of leaning either too far back or 
unduly far forward have already been dealt with 
under the heading of Balance. 



I 



VIII 

THE USE AND MISUSE OF THE HANDS 



VIII 

THE USE AND MISUSE OF THE HANDS 

" The Writers of Books, and the Horse-Men now living, that think 
themselves Wise, and great masters, by the diversity of Bitts, shew 
themselves full of Ignorance, and Simple People, to imagine, That 
a piece of Iro7i in a Horse's Month can bring him Knowledge ; no 
more than a Book in a Boyes Kand can, at first, make him Read^ 

Newcastle. 

" The hand, which by givin'x and taking properly, gains its point 
with the least force, is the best." Pembroke. 

^~T^HE man who can control his horse In all man- 
ner of situations and over all classes of coun- 
try with the minimum of discomfort to the aminal 
and therefore to himself may be said to have good 
hands. There are men of exceptional disposition 
who have that inborn influence over horses which it 
is impossible to explain, and they will always stand 
out in a class of their own as regards hands; but 
I can see no reason why most other riders should 
have bad ones, providing they have a firm seat in- 
dependent of the reins and know how to use them, 

and ride properly balanced horses. 

89 



90 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

The importance of horse-balance will be dealt with 
fully in the section on horse-training, but some men- 
tion of it is necessary here, as the rider of an ill- 
balanced horse must perforce use his hands very 
much more than would otherwise be the case, and 
thus run the chance of upsetting the animal by dis- 
turbing his mouth. The power of the hand is also 
to a great extent regulated by the balance of the 
horse. Adams puts this very graphically, and sug- 
gests the experiment of standing in an upright posi- 
tion and letting some one place a tape round your 
forehead and hold the ends. If he pulls you can 
offer no resistance: you are similarly placed to a 
well-balanced horse. Now lower your head, bend 
your body, and place one foot out behind, and in this 
position you will be able to resist the man with the 
tape. 

More pain can be given to a horse by the bridle 
than by the whip or the spurs. The mucous mem- 
brane lining the mouth is naturally more sensitive 
than the outer hide, and the bones of the head are 
more thinly covered with flesh. A tired horse in a 
cart will move into a trot if jobbed severely in the 
mouth, long after the whip has failed to stimulate 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands gx 

him. It is well, therefore, thoroughly to understand 
the mechanical laws which apply to the movements 
of the animal's head and neck in order to avoid 
giving him unnecessary pain by misuse of the hand. 
There is no doubt that these parts of his anatomy 
help him to preserve his equilibrium. Watch a 
horse careering about a field at liberty. Before he 
sets off at either a trot or a canter he throws up his 
head and neck to raise his forehand and free his 
forelegs. When he wishes to stop he lowers his 
head ^ and neck, and at full gallop he always carries 
them out. When making sudden turns and starts he 
uses his head in a variety of ways to get his balance 
in the right place. 

Most students of Haute Ecole would have us more 
or less rob a horse of this free movement, and teach 
him to perform the various evolutions required of 
him without altering the position of his head and 
neck. But while admitting that he should not be 
allowed to what might be called " sprawl," I find it 
difficult to see eye to eye with these gentlemen. I 
admit that freedom is not essential in the riding- 
school, where the ground is soft and even and the 
pace cannot be great ; but in the open, where we have 

* When properly trained and mounted he pulls up on his hocks, 
and keeps his head up to get the weight back. 



92 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

to deal with rough ground, fences, and partial ex- 
haustion, it seems wrong to deprive the horse of 
the use of his balancing-pole. Freedom is ab- 
solutely necessary for a supreme effort of any 
sort : give a prize at a horse show for a wide jump 
and the horse that has never been allowed to use his 
neck will be useless. We have recently had illustra- 
tions of this at the Horse Shows at Buenos Ayres 
1908 and San Sebastian (Spain) 1909, where the 
horses that won the wide jump had not been taught 
to carry their heads in and their necks more or less 
permanently arched, but had on the contrary always 
been given full liberty of head in their work after 
once being trained. 

I happened to know two of the winning horses at 
the above shows well; one was trained at the Rid- 
ing Establishment at Woolwich during my term of 
office, and the other belonged to an officer who was 
for some time in the same battery with me. The 
former, "Biddy," winner of the ist prize at San 
Sebastian and of the 2nd at New York (1909) for 
the long jump, is depicted in Plate VI. 

Speaking generally, bad hands interfere with 
the free movement of the head and neck when once 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands 93 

the horse is trained. In support of this contention 
Marchese Orario Pucci, writing on the training of 
ItaHan Cavalry Officers, says : — " Little by little the 
conviction has been arrived at that the horse should 
be as free as possible and that the rider should only 
suggest what he is to do, and help him to do it in 
the way that is most natural to him." 

The law of self-preservation dictates to the man 
that he should tighten his reins when the horse stum- 
bles, and some writers advocate it. It may be found 
useful to give a horse a job in the mouth as a severe 
punishment for carelessness, but from a mechan- 
ical point of view it is wrong; the reins should be 
allowed to slip through the fingers, and the body 
should be leant back. 

This may seem to be a contradiction of my state- 
ments on page 93, but when examined, I trust 
I can prove that it is not so. The two cases in- 
volve entirely different problems. In the first case, 
the horse is balanced and moving along; but before 
he increases his pace he lifts his head and neck, be- 
cause it is easier to strike off at a trot or canter after 
he has done so. In the second case, he cannot raise 
his head high because he has lost his balance, and 



94 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

his only means of recovering it is to momentarily 
take the weight off his shoulders by dropping his 
head very low, thus affording a practical example 
of an important principle in mechanics. This 
science also tells us that action and reaction are 
equal in opposite directions, so that the power em- 
ployed to raise the head through the reins will react 
through the seat and sink the horse's knees. Green- 
wood puts this well, and Whyte Melville says that 
" interference with a horse's head often converts 
a severe blunder into a fall.^ " 

Before quitting the subject of mechanics it will be 
relevant to discuss a not altogether exploded fallacy 
— namely, that the rider can assist the horse at a 
fence by " lifting " him. If he forces the animal to 
throw up his head and neck he not only prevents 
him from seeing where to take off at the fence, but 
also disturbs a poise of the forequarters which is 
purposely assumed by the horse to facilitate the 
making of his best effort. We can but steady him, 
we cannot lift him — it is an obvious impossibility. 
He must do the lifting for both of us, so that the less 

1 The Italians claim to have proved the truth of this by instantane- 
ous photography. 



I 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands 95 

we interfere with him the better in jumping; nor 
should we do so in going over rough ground. 
Should the reader have ever, like me, had the de- 
lightful experience of galloping after a mob of 
horses in Australia, over ground like a rabbit-war- 
ren, and come through it in perfect safety, he will 
know how well a horse can look after himself under 
the circumstances. Very little guidance is necessary, 
picking your ground is impossible, and the Austral- 
ian takes care to warn you about non-interference 
with the animal's head. I am told that the ranch- 
men of Western U. S. A. and the Argentine when 
galloping believe in the maxim " the rougher the 
ground the slacker the rein." 

Unless the rider has shoulder-joints, elbows, and 
wrists which can move in unison like well-oiled 
machinery, and unless he can preserve an even and 
gentle pressure on the horse's mouth when neces- 
sary, he cannot have good hands. The upper arms 
should hang easily down from the shoulders : this 
not only gives more power to the rider than if the 
elbows were raised and to the front, but allows 
of more head-room being given to the horse if he 
needs it, as it enables the rider to '* open his 



90 Modern Riding arid Horse Education 

(a good example of this is seen in Plate XIII), 
shoulders " and shoot out his arms to their full 
extent, which is indispensable when landing over 
a fence, unless the rider leans very much forward. 
The wrists should be rounded and the knuckles 
turned towards the horse's head to ensure the 
maximum of play, and the reins should be held 
as long as possible without sacrificing control : 
on these points the instructor must focus his 
attention. If the pupil has it in him, the rest will 
come by practice in riding all sorts and conditions 
of horses, provided they are bitted to suit their 
work and temperament. 

One of the best judges of riding in Eng- 
land recently told me that he always knew 
a horseman by the length of his reins, and 
doubtless the novice, from nervousness among 
other causes, is apt to hold them too short; 
if the habit of riding with short reins is once 
learnt it is not easy to eradicate, and the in- ,, 
structor should bear this in mind. The Italians 
perhaps ride with the shortest reins in Europe. It 
is in my opinion wrong, as it stultifies the move- 
ment of the body from the hips upwards, thus 







o 



be 
.S 

p. 

o 






The Use and Misuse of the Hands 97 

making the distribution of the rider's weight more 
difficult. 

Many writers would have us never to cease from 
maintaining the gentlest feeling on the horse's 
mouth, but this does not hold good for all-round 
work. For polo, as the Messrs, Miller rightly ob- 
serve, the pony must gallop with no pressure on the 
reins. Slight pressure at the beginning of a chucker 
generally means marked pressure at the end of it. 
During a gallop to hounds the firmness of hold 
must be regulated by the weight of the rider and 
the nature of the ground; it should never be con- 
stant, the horse may lose his good mouth and his 
true balance if we teach him to '' hang." In racing 
and in steeplechasing parlance the horse is " driven 
into his bridle," and a certain leaning is necessary, 
but when man and horse are going at their ease 
there should be no pressure at all. 

Phillipps's maxim on hands is worthy of note. 
He says that the hand of the horseman should 
resemble the temper of a commander — ^pleasant 
while obeyed, formidable if disobeyed. 

Raise the hands and you raise the horse's head, . 
lower them and he should lower his. A great deal 



9& Modern Gliding and Horse Education 

has been said and written about always keeping the 
hands low, but there can be no fixed rule on the 
subject; everything depends not only on the horse 
and the defences his conformation and idiosyn- 
crasies lead him most readily to employ, but also on 
the pace at which he is traveling. Jim Mason al- 
ways rode with his hands high, and yet according to 
Whyte Melville he had fewer falls than most people. 
This may possibly be accounted for by the fact that 
some men undoubtedly do not get full value out of 
their hands unless they ride with them at a particu- 
lar height on every horse, either from ineradicable 
early habit, or from some peculiarity which prevents 
their exerting their full strength and gentleness in 
any other position. These men are less likely to ex- 
cel than those who can adapt themselves readily to 
any horse's requirements. 

Ladies perforce ride with their hands higher than 
men, and no one can accuse them of having bad 
hands as a sex. 

I do not consider it altogether fair to quote the 
well-worn saying: "If you do not pull at him he 
will not pull at you " to the unfortunate man whose 
horse is going a great deal faster than he likes. 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands 9$ 

Were he to comply with your advice, he would 
probably be run away with on the spot. If his bad 
hands have upset the animal and made him pull, 
there is no remedy; the man does not possess the 
power of "playing" the horse delicately until he 
submits, and if the fault lies with the horse's mouth 
— or rather with the riders who have spoilt it — a 
sudden slackening of the reins will be rather an in- 
dication that he is to go faster, than the reverse. 
For the moment the man must " do the best he can " 
by main strength, though he will be well advised to 
get a better trained or more temperate horse for his 
future riding. That " do not pull at him and he 
will not pull at you " has before now driven a rider 
in difficuhies to exclaim, and with much reason: 
"If only he had not pulled at me, I shotild never 
have pulled at him." The man with ordinary hands 
and knowledge will take a pull, and a good hard 
one, but he will be careful to do so for a short time 
only— perhaps but for a few strides— and will relax 
the pressure the instant the animal gives to his hand, 
were it only a little, and will repeat this over and 
over again, gradually replacing force with gentle- 
ness, until an understanding has been arrived at. 



100 Modern Riding and HOfse Education 

Cesaresco says that under certain circumstances 
the strength the horse can employ against the pull of 
the hands is twenty times greater than the force 
the man can exert ; whether this be true or not it is 
safe to say that if the horse intends to run away he 
can do so, in spite of any bit, and the more severe 
this may be, the more likely is trouble to ensue. 
Head tells us of a runaway horse having stopped 
gradually of his own accord, in consequence of the 
rupture of the curb-chain, which, having infuriated 
him by the agony it had inflicted, had actually 
caused the very danger it had been created to avert. 
This story goes to corroborate the Duke of New- 
castle, who says : " . . . for, certainly sharp Cave- 
zones, and cruel Bits hard Curb'd, made horses run 
away heretofore, making them desperate." 

It should not be necessary to have both hands on 
the reins for ordinary riding if the horse is going 
pleasantly and is well trained, but riding with what 
in military parlance is called the " right hand free " 
is needful whenever it is required for holding a 
weapon, rope, or polo stick, and before jumping 
became general at home and abroad it was the ac- 
cepted custom in peace and war, excepting perhaps 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands xoz 

for racing. The cowboy and the polo player, who 
are obliged to follow this practice, rely to a great 
extent when turning on shifting the balance of the 
body, and on the knowledge which their animals 
possess of the game that is going forward. It is not 
easy for the polo player to apply pressure to a horse's 
mouth on the side to which he intends to turn, if the 
desired movement is more than can be communicated 
by turning the wrist. The indication applied is gen- 
erally a pressure of the rein on the opposite side of 
the neck. This means pressure on the wrong side 
of the mouth as well, and is apt, if too sharply ap- 
plied, to bend the animal's head away from the di- 
rection he is to take — an unsound situation, but diffi- 
cult of remedy. I have been told that in some parts 
of America cowpunchers frequently ride young 
horses with the reins crossed behind the bit, so that 
when they are pressed against the neck the pull 
comes on the correct side of the mouth. This of 
course means that if the horse is ever to be ridden 
with two hands, he must be trained again. 

There is not sufficient justification for the stress 
some writers lay on the manner in which the reins 
should be held in the hand. Go out hunting, and 



t02 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

you will see half a dozen riders holding their reins 
in half a dozen different ways; most of them being 
self-taught, they will pick them up without thinking 
why they do so in any particular manner, but some 
ways certainly have advantages over others. In 
the British Army there must be one method for the 
sake of uniformity, and this method has changed 
twice in the last eight years. As held at present, in 
one hand, the reins pass upwards through the hand 
and form a cascade of leather between the fore- 
finger and thumb: when held in two hands the 
thumb holds the reins in position. 

The road coachman has to have the strongest 
possible hold on the reins for obvious reasons, and 
how does he do it ? He grasps the edge of the reins, 
and his main hold is with the third and little fingers, 
in which practice can develop the maximum gripping 
power, because owing to their having shorter joints 
than the other fingers there is no room for the reins 
to get turned on the flat, and the thumb is left free. 
Many steeplechase jockeys cross their reins, and 
claim that it saves them from a fall if the horse 
pecks, as the portion of the reins between their hands 
meets the withers and prevents their shooting for- 
ward. 




X 



a 

J! 

a 

• i-c 

o 



^3 
O 



> 

I— ( 

-M 
»— ( 



The Use and Misuse of the Hands Z03 

A method of holding the reins shown me by Mr. 
R. Donaldson-Hudson is a good one. I recommend 
it for beginners, and will here give a description of 
it (Plates XIV and XV). 

In one hand (the left). — Place the little 
finger of the left hand between the two left reins, 
the snaffle rein being uppermost and outermost. 
Turn the buckle end of these two reins towards the 
horse's head between the second and third fingers. 
Place the forefinger of the left hand between the 
two right reins, the snaffle being again uppermost 
and outermost. 

The buckle end of these reins will naturally pass 
through the palm of the hand and join the other 
reins just above the left thigh. 

For the right hand, as above, substituting 
" right " for " left," and vice versa. 

To DIVIDE THE REINS, HOLDING TWO IN EACH 

HAND. — Place the little finger of the unoccupied 
hand between the reins, which are divided by the 
forefinger of the occupied hand, and separate the 
hands as far as required; the "bight," or buckle 
ends of the reins, passing, in either hand, towards 
the horse's head between the second and third 



Z04 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

fingers, and thus hanging over to one side or the 
other of the withers. 

Whether held in one or both hands, the reins 
are always on edge — as in coaching — between the 
palm of the hand and the second and third fingers. 
When held in one hand only there is the further 
advantage that although all four reins are held by 
two fingers, the pull on either pair is in opposite 
directions through the hand. Lastly, it leaves the 
hand free to grasp anything placed between it and 
the forefinger without relaxing the grasp on the 
reins. 



IX 

THE USE OF THE LOWER PART OF THE LEO 



IX 

THE USE OP THE LOWER PART OP THE LEG 

" Nothing is more detrimental to a man's seat, or more destructive 
of the sensibility of an horse's sides, than a continual wriggling un- 
jettledness in an horseman's legs. . . ." Pembroke. 

TT is in the use of this indication that the ex- 
ponent of Haute Ecole and the ordinary rider 
coine to the parting of the wa3^s. The former con- 
stantly employs the lower part of his legs, whereas 
the latter on a properly trained and balanced horse 
only resorts to them occasionally. The horse trainer, 
on the contrary, comes more into line with the 
Haute Ecole rider ; to him the correct and frequent 
use of the leg is everything. We often hear the 
remark that a horse is a perfect ride and suitable 
for a lady; what does this mean? Simply that the 
animal is well trained and balanced, temperate yet 
willing, and therefore does not require a pair of 
legs to keep him in his bridle and control his quar- 
ters when he turns. 

The leg should be used with the same understand- 

107 



lo8 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

ing as the hand, and the well-trained horse's side 
should be as sensitive to its application as is his 
mouth to the bridle. He should answer to the touch 
and firm pressure of the leg as he should to the 
touch and firm pressure of the reins. Practice in 
the first five exercises already enumerated for devel- 
oping the gripping muscles teaches the pupil from 
the commencement that the knee should be im- 
movable in riding, and that the lower part of the 
leg must be used, generally speaking, as an indica- 
tion. I qualify this latter statement, as when a 
horse jumps or bucks the rider holds on to a certain 
extent with the flat of the lower part of the leg as 
well as with the knee and thigh, according to the 
length of the limb. The small, fat-thighed man 
must perforce use this hold a good deal. When cir- 
cumstances, adverse or otherwise, dictate that ad- 
ditional hold in this way is necessary, the pressure 
should be applied without shifting the lower part 
of the leg to the rear. 

The indications of the leg are briefly as follows : 
A pressure of both legs to make the horse move 
forward, the amount of pressure being regulated 
by the pace desired. One leg drawn back in con- 



The Use of the Lower Part of the Leg 109 

junction with the other indications either to make a 
horse move his quarters in a requisite direction or 
prevent them from flying out ; to make him bend, or 
passage sideways. The pressure of the leg also 
assists in making the horse strike off on the desired 
leg at a canter, or change the leading leg at the same 
pace. The collecting and the correct circling of the 
untrained horse can also only be ensured by the 
proper use of the leg. 

Undoubtedly a horse can be made to take off 
when going at a fence by the combined use of the 
hand and leg; a blindfolded horse at the Netheravon 
Cavalry School was recently taught to jump by the 
pressure of the legs, and " Thormanby " tells us 
that a Dr. Minster, of Cheltenham, had a stone- 
blind horse who used to jump stiles on the way to 
the doctor's patients ; but once the horse is properly 
trained the less he is interfered with the better when 
jumping. If he requires rousing it should be done at 
some distance from the obstacle. Fillis would have 
us support the horse in the air, but he cannot have 
been a student of mechanics, or he would have rec- 
ognized the impossibility of this without at the same 
time solving the problem of flight. 



no Modern Riding and Horse Education 

The self-taught rider very generally straightens 
his leg and lets the lower part go right out to the 
front when landing over a fence; as already men- 
tioned in the section on seats, the most important 
reason why this should not be done is that straight- 
ening the leg causes the gripping muscles to become 
round instead of flat; another disadvantage is that 
it makes the rider liable to spur the horse on the 
shoulder as he lands. A third and most cogent ar- 
gument against the practice, from the rider's point 
of view, is that (unless his leathers are very long) 
if he happens to arrive over the fence with his 
whole weight on the stirrups, the shock of landing 
will be transmitted from his feet to his body, and 
he will be Hable to fall off. 

The question of stumbling has been dealt with 
already, and the evil effects of interference with the 
horse's mouth explained, but I can see no reason 
why a sharp application of the legs can do anything 
but good to a tripper. Mr. Charles Thompson 
gives this as the only course to pursue. He was 
the author of a treatise entitled " Rules for Bad 
Horsemen" (1775), and na'fvely complained, in 
the " Advertisement of the Fourth Edition," that 
the title had spoiled the sale of the work. 



X 

THE VOICE AND THE WHIP 



X 

THE VOICE AND THE WHIP 

" The voice is Used three Manner of Ways : Either as a Correction^ 
by Threatening, or as a Help to Incourage the Horse ; or as a Court- 
ship to him by Flattering of him." Newcastle. 
" Formed with rod alone 
its aids they know 
And stop, and turn, obedient to the blow." 

From Berenger. 

^np^HE earliest riders, who made use of little or no 
gear, found the voice and whip indispensable 
in guiding their steeds. According to Berenger, the 
Carthaginians chiefly used the whip for this pur- 
pose, giving a blow on the near side of the head 
to make a horse turn to the right and vice versa, 
and one " full upon the gristle of the nose " when 
he was required to stop. Other nations, as before 
stated, directed their horses by the voice, a much 
more humane method; and it is a pity, not only 
from the point of view of the progressive develop- 
ment of the horse's mind, but also from that of its 

being a valuable indication from the rider, that the 

"3 



114 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

perfecting of bridles and of every form of adjunct 
to riding threw the voice into disuse as far as 
Europe was concerned. Like the movement of the 
man's body, the voice is an indication independent 
of the sensitiveness of the horse's mouth and sides, 
and the animal who is trained to come to you, to 
stop, etc., by word of mouth is generally more useful 
than his uneducated brother. How far he can be 
made to understand the voice is dealt with in the 
section on the horse's mind. 

It was " correct " in the seventeenth century for 
Haute Ecole riders to carry a whip in the full of 
the right hand, point uppermost; in this position it 
was always ready for immediate use, and doubtless 
helped to keep the horse up to the cruel bit of the 
day. A whip should be quite unnecessary on a 
trained animal unless he is by nature a slug; but the 
beginner on a quiet mount should generally carry 
a whip or stick of sorts, not so much for use as to 
save him the hard labor of trying to increase the 
horse's pace, to which the mere sight of it will often 
contribute. 

If the animal is inclined to " run out " on a par- 
ticular side, showing him the whip on that side will 



The Voice and the Whip 115 

often make him jump straight. To punish a horse 
is by no means easy, and will often betray the 
amateur ; the whip must be held as the Haute Ecole 
riders of the eighteenth century held it — in the full 
of the hand and point uppermost — and the rider 
must avoid moving in the saddle when he strikes. 
As in the ordinary way it is carried point down- 
wards, both the rider's hands should be well 
practised in getting it up from that position, which 
is done by a manipulation of the fingers. 

The riding whip, or preferably a thick smooth 
cane, is very useful in educating a horse, for teach- 
ing him to bend, turn and change at a canter, and 
stand still in a collected manner. The subject will 
be referred to again in the sections on horse-training. 

The cane is better than a cutting-whip, as it is 
shorter, hits a horse in the right place — the side — 
and does not alarm him by making a swishing noise 
in the air. 



XI 

SPURS 



XI 

SPURS 

"I was up in half a minute, but he never seemed to stir, 
Though I scored him with my rowels in the fall." 

Whyte Melville. 

"O UXTORFF, in describing the horsemen of an- 
cient Egypt, says that the word " Parash," or 
rider, is derived from the Hebrew root to prick or 
spur (Head) ; and Xenophon in his treatise makes 
mention of spurs, but no frieze or statue of about 
that period shows any rider wearing them. A draw- 
ing of a spur used in the fifth century, which is given 
in Berenger's book, depicts a milder instrument than 
those in use at the time of the Conquest, which were 
at that period, and for some time afterwards, most 
murderous-looking implements. They were of three 
kinds : one of them, the " pryck," having only a sin- 
gle long point, another several points of considerable 
size, and a third three necks. Happily, nowadays 

the use and not the abuse of spurs is more generally 

119 



120 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

understood. At polo rowels are not allowed, and, 
speaking generally, at most sports and games that 
horses love, the rider is better without them. For 
the slug and for the horse that wants his mind made 
up for him, sharp spurs are necessary, but they en- 
tail this disadvantage — that when hunting the rider 
is apt to punish his mount unintentionally, either 
in falling or by getting his foot caught in a fence. 

Devotees of Haute Ecole seem all, or nearly all, 
to have been very fond of the spur, and doubtless 
for riding of this character it is useful. Baucher, 
who is recorded never to have ridden outside a 
school, wrote that whether a horse was a slug or hot 
tempered, he was three parts broken if he had been 
taught to endure the spurs. Fillis said that they 
were a " valuable aid," and Nolan and Anderson 
were two English writers who laid down that the 
young horse should be taught to receive the attack 
of the spur with calmness ! Three at least of these 
authors were masters of the " great saddle," and 
their opinion excites every respect. Whyte Melville, 
a writer of a different school, would have most of us 
do without spurs, and he is right as long as we ride 
Clothing but well-balanced and willing horses. 



Spurs 121 

As far as training is concerned, when the heel 
fails try the spur without rowels, then the blunt one, 
and finally the sharp spur; the common-bred slug 
requires the blunt one very soon. By following this 
procedure the horse gets to learn what is required 
of him when he feels the rowel, otherwise he does 
not, and he may stand still and cow-kick as if bitten 
by a fly when the spur is applied. 



XII 

RIDING SCHOOLS v. THE OPEN 



XII 

RIDING SCHOOLS v. THE OPEN 

" Both are good at proper seasons, and either will do very well if 
the RidingMaster is good." Pembroke. 

TTAVING briefly discussed what is to be taught, 
we may now consider how best to teach it. 
Shall the instruction be commenced in a riding 
school if one is available, or shall it be in the open? 
Shall the pupil be given a saddle with stirrups, or a 
numnah without them? Shall he begin his lessons 
without reins? In answering these questions we 
must remember to aim, above all things, at establish- 
ing confidence in the beginner as quickly as possible. 
Outside the Army, riding schools in England are 
few and far between, but an open-air manege can 
soon be made, and if it be only an oblong marked 
out with flags or stones, horses soon learn to follow 
the track. The school offers great advantages in the 
early stages ; the pupil can at once be treated as what 
he is — a mere passenger — and the fact that he is 

I2S 



126 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

within four walls gives him confidence, whilst the 
horse in his turn is quieter and more amenable to 
discipline. In a minor degree the same advantages 
attach to the open manege. The riding school is 
also better suited for lessons in jumping without 
reins, because, firstly, the tan is softer landing for 
the horse, and therefore more comfortable for the 
man, whether he remains in the saddle or falls ofif; 
and secondly, the animal is under better control in 
the school if he happens to be of a very excitable 
temperament. Otherwise the performance can be 
carried out in any field : I have experimented with 
all kinds of horses in the open, and found slugs the 
only tiresome ones, though showing them the whip 
will generally make them energetic. 

The use and abuse of riding schools has been well 
illustrated in the British Army. Up to recent years 
instruction was rarely carried out in the open, and 
the whole standard of riding and horse-training was 
judged by the performance of one or two exercises 
called single and double rides. These consisted in 
a monotonous sequence of turns and circles, which, 
owing to constant weekly practice, the horses per- 
formed mechanically, without the volition of the 



feiding Schools v. the Opert 127 

rider. As a test of equitation they were useless. In 
1902 orders were issued practically forbidding the 
use of the schools for instruction, presumably to 
make it impossible for a man to be considered a 
horseman or a troop-horse a trained animal if they 
could only perform a single ride within four walls, 
and in company with other men and horses. A more 
reasonable state of affairs now obtains. 

Collective exercises in the school are doubtless 
useful for trained men, but they should be of a 
varied character, so that the error of the past shall 
not be repeated. 

As soon as a man has a firm seat he must go out 
of doors, or he will make but little further prog- 
ress. Within four walls he cannot learn the real 
meaning of the word '' hands ; " for this freedom for 
man and horse is required. One of the secrets of 
training both of them being continuous instruction, 
a school is valuable to ensure it, as it makes the in- 
structor independent of the weather. But whilst the 
man's early lessons will all take place in the school, 
the young horse should only remain in it until he 
will move forward quietly. He can return to it 
later to be " collected." 



128 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

The ordinary English riding school is too nar- 
row, and therefore ill fitted for the instruction of the 
beginner, whether horse or man, a portion of whose 
early lesons should consist of moving on large cir- 
cles. Riding schools abroad are very much larger. 

The rudiments of postillion and artillery driving 
can be taught better in school than anywhere else. 



XIII 

BADDLE WITH STIRRUPS v. NUMNAH 



XIII 

SADDLE WITH STIRRUPS v. NUMNAH 

"They (the stirrups) are a great easement to the rider, by support- 
ing the toe, and prevent the dangling of the legs. They are an 
assistance, because the rider can preserve his balance with less 
attention." Adams. 

^TT^HERE are two distinct schools of thought on 
this subject. Up to 1820 none of the best 
authorities, as far as I can gather, ever advocated 
that the beginner should have stirrups, though the 
practice was common amongst civilian riding mas- 
ters. The lad who was taught with a view to going 
to hounds probably commenced his lessons with stir- 
rups, but he learnt under no recognized teacher of 
what was then called " riding," a term which no ex- 
ponent of Haute Ecole would have applied to the 
performance of the hunting man proper. It was, in 
fact, the distrust and contempt so long subsisting 
between the two schools which stultified the riding 
of the British nation in the last century. 

Fillis and Baucher (circa 1850) shared the old- 

131 



132 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

time view on the subject, whilst Hayes and Dwyer, 
all-round riders and authors whom no man can 
ignore, would both have us commence with stirrups. 
Hayes says : " In order to give the grown-up be- 
ginner confidence I would strongly advocate that 
... he should have a broad-seated saddle covered 
with buckskin and that he should be allowed to ride 
at first with stirrups." 

Dwyer, of the Austrian Imperial Service, who 
turned out many fine horsemen, writes : — " The ad- 
vocates of beginning without stirrups say you must 
first give a pupil a seat, and then, when he has ac- 
quired balance and a hold on his horse, you can give 
him the additional assistance of stirrups. Now, the 
most dif^cult thing to attain is balance, and the stir- 
rup was devised for the purpose of assisting in ac- 
quiring and maintaining it ; and it is, therefore, just 
as reasonable to act in this manner as it would be to 
set a boy to learn swimming without corks and blad- 
ders, and when he learnt to support himself to give 
him artificial aids." 

When Hayes wrote the passage previously quoted 
he no doubt had it in his mind that a fall would not 
be such a set-back to a boy as to a man, his lighter 



Saddle with Stirrups v. Kumnah 133 

weight and softer bones making the unpleasant ex- 
perience of less consequence, and the effects, as far 
as nerve and confidence were concerned, of little 
or no duration. Figure-skating is notoriously more 
quickly learned by boys than by men for the same 
reason. It may also have struck Hayes that the 
anxious parent would not look forward with equa- 
nimity to the likelihood of his young hopeful being 
dragged. 

No European nation now adheres to the rigid rule 
of not allowing a man stirrups until he has acquired 
a firm seat. In the British Army official opinion has 
changed twice on the subject within the last ten 
years, and the instructor is now allowed to do as he 
likes. The German recruit has a few lessons on a 
blanket, but when serious instruction commences he 
is given a saddle with stirrups. 

Doubtless one of the reasons why early writers 
did not favor stirrups was that they followed the 
sound rule of placing the man in the saddle as they 
eventually wished him to appear when a finished 
horseman, and to do this the stirrups would have to 
have been fitted so long as to be practically useless to 
the novice. Fillis admits this, and goes so far as to 



134 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

say that no beginner can keep his stirrups. The ad- 
vent of, or rather the return to, the hunting seat, has 
done away with the necessity for straightening the 
leg, and the retention of stirrups is now a matter of 
no difficulty. Another reason given by the non- 
stirrup school was that the leg never straightened 
sufficiently if the pupil was allowed stirrups. At the 
risk of beating a dead horse I must again say that I 
think their anxiety was unfounded; many officers 
and men who had ridden before joining the Service 
learned the old straight-legged seat quickly enough 
in the riding school, and it cannot be doubted that 
most of them — and I include myself — had been 
taught at home with stirrups. 

Hayes and Dwyer advise stirrups to prevent 
the leg from straightening; they evidently had not 
studied the reliefs in the British Museum represent- 
ing horsemen on Assyrian battlefields, or this view 
of the matter would not have caused them any 
anxiety, as there were no irons in those days. The 
make and shape of the rider and the way he is taught 
have more to do with the ultimate height of his knee 
in the saddle than any stirrup. 

Quite lately I was discussing the subject of stir- 




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Saddle with Stirrups v. Numnah 135 

rups V. no stirrups with a Riding Master who was 
brought up in the no-stirrup school. He told me 
that when he gave private lessons he always allowed 
them, as he found that his pupils left him if he did 
not. This brings out the human side of the question. 

If the irons are dispensed with it is much better 
to carry out the instruction on a numnah : I have ex- 
perimented with both. The pupil is nearer to his 
horse and the friction from contact with the num- 
nah is very much greater than is obtainable on a 
stripped saddle ; which has, however, one advantage 
over the numnah in that it gives a firmer hold to 
the hands of the beginner who is in difficulties. 

If he is on a numnah, the beginner, who naturally 
has no idea of balance, always keeps himself from 
falling off by grip and by the aid of the reins if he 
has them: the former very soon tires him to the 
extent of his having to be dismounted for a rest, be- 
cause he has no stirrups to relieve the strain. Those 
pupils who have not been previously strengthened by 
a course of gripping exercises are unable to main- 
tain the correct position of the leg for any length of 
time, and it soon relapses into the attitude shown in 
Plate XVI, when muscles which are almost useless 



X36 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

to the good horseman are being brought into play. 
Those who have done the exercise before beginning 
to ride will tire less quickly, but even they are very 
far from comfortable with so little idea of balance. 
I have tried to give the beginner confidence and les- 
sen his fatigue by the use of a roller-pad with han- 
dles, placed over the numnah, but it does not answer 
for the following reasons. The rider works for- 
ward on to the pad and is liable to become galled. 
If the horse checks, and he grasps the handles, the 
upper part of the body pitches forward, as illustrated 
in Fig. 2, and when jumping begins he is apt to rely 
on his hands alone and instinctively to loosen the 
grip on his legs. I would by no means recommend 
holding on at all with the arms, but if it must be 
done let the hold be at the back of the seat for any- 
thing but jumping,^ which will more or less preserve 
the balance of the bodyy, the forward movement of 
the shoulders being at once checked. It will also be 
found easier to pull than to push in this particular 



1 In jumping the body must always be on the forward side of 
the perpendicular, therefore it is best to hold on by the mane if 
at all. The Italians recommend this. The system of teachingf 
I shall advocate makes holding on by the hands absolutely un- 
necessary. 



Saddle with Stirrups v. Numnah 137 

instance; let the reader sit loosely on a horse and 
try it. 

The advantages derived from beginning with stir- 
rups are as follows. The comparative comfort and 




Fig. 2.— Holding on by the leaping-pad. 

security of the pupil are assured from the first, and 
fatigue much reduced ; if he is riding with reins he 
is not so likely to depend on them when in difficulties, 



138 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

and acquires the valuable habit of leaning inwards 
without risk of a fall when the horse turns. Fur- 
thermore, the beginner can rise to the trot, and thus 
avoid the discomfort of continual bumping. Later 
on, riding without stirrups can be given in gradu- 
ally increased doses. I have never experienced the 
slightest difficulty in getting a pupil well down into 
his seat with this system of instruction, even when 
the saddle has been a high arched one. Falls, how- 
ever, cannot be avoided w^hen side-balance is lost 
beyond a certain point : when this occurs, the man's 
leg flies out and he comes off. What might, on the 
other hand, be called fore-and-aft balance, or the 
balance applied by the rider in jumping, receives but 
little assistance from the stirrups, which are free to 
swing backwards and forwards. With a careful in- 
structor the risk of dragging is so small as to be 
hardly worth considering, but safety stirrups are, of 
course, a good thing if available. 

Some of the early-pattern irons had a swivel at 
the top of the arch, on which they revolved, making 
them always handy to the rider's foot. This form of 
stirrup was doubtless given up as unsuitable for rid- 
ing with the foot home, as when in use the flat of 



Saddle with Stirrups v. Numnah 139 

the leather did not necessarily come against the 
rider's boot, and it gradually went out in the begin- 
ning of the eighteenth century. Some writers place 
but little value on the stirrup as a help under adverse 
circumstances, Adams going so far as to say it is 
useless. Few experienced riders will agree with 
this ; on a bad puller, for example, the action of the 
arms must be weaker without stirrups, as the base is 
weaker. This point is clearly brought out by 
Cesaresco. 



XIV 

REINS V. NO REINS 




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XIV 

REINS V. NO REINS 

" All riders think they hold their horses, but most hold them- 
selves." Count E. Martinengo Cesaresco. 

** Bad riders use the reins as a means of balancing themselves in 
the saddle, and this is especially done in the hunting field." 

Walsh. 

\T T^HEN it was that reins came into use is not 

very clear; some recent researches of M. 

Edouard Piette's amongst prehistoric remains in 

France have brought to Hght carvings on bone of 

the Glyptic Age, which imdoubtedly represent 

bridled horses, although the rudeness of the design 

leaves us in some doubt as to whether the reins were 

attached to a nose-band, or if what was probably a 

leather thong passed through the horse's mouth, and 

formed a make-shift bridle. Be this as it may, when 

we come to historical times we have proof that it 

was comparatively late before the use of reins 

became general; the inhabitants of Numidia and 

Mauritania, and, according to Berenger, of " Nasa- 

143 



144 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

monia, Massilia, and other adjacent tracts of the 
same region," rode without reins in peace and war. 
Livy the historian (born 59 b. c.) divides cavalry 
into those with and those without the bridle, the 
former being heavy horsemen. 

Bridles are now used with more understanding 
than they have ever been. The " lupus " snaffle of 
the Romans, made in imitation of the teeth of a wolf, 
and the long-cheeked cruel bit of a later date, are 
things of the past ; they necessitated barbarous meth- 
ods of horse training and riding. The introduc- 
tion of reins is, however, responsible for the want of 
perfect balance in many horsemen who have never 
ridden without them. As Mr. Tozer has recently 
told us, some of the early instructors deliberately 
advised novices to catch hold of the reins tightly in 
order to keep their seat with greater ease. I think 
these gentlemen performed a work of supererogation 
in doing so, as the novice needs no telling to hold on 
by the reins the moment he gets into difficulties ; the 
most elementary laws of self-preservation direct 
that he should. 

All teachers advocate quitting stirrups at some 
stage, at least, of the course, in order to hasten the 



Reins v. No Reins 145 

acquisition of a firm seat, and those who do not re- 
commend that reins should also be dispensed with 
forget the obvious fact that they are nearly as much 
support to the pupil as the stirrup, perhaps more so, 
and that if they are retained throughout the course 
the instructor is defeating his own ends. It would 
be just as reasonable to deprive the man of his reins 
and allow him to keep his stirrups the whole time; 
the results would — all things being equal — ^be 
superior. 

Balance is harder to learn if a convulsive grasp 
of the reins prevents a man's body from following 
the movements of his mount, besides which it is un- 
fair on a beginner to expect him to control a horse 
before he has a firm seat : it is asking him to attempt 
too much. In the initial stages of jumping the reins 
may save a fall, but they often produce one by pull- 
ing the rider out of the saddle. In experienced 
hands they encourage the horse to jump; in bad and 
inexperienced ones they make rushers and refusers. 
Again, purely from the animal's side of the question, 
he is put to considerable pain in having his mouth 
pulled about; he becomes an uncertain jumper, and 
useless for the purpose of teaching a future rider 



146 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

the meaning of *' hands." A horse will last longer 
and be a better stayer if he has not to use his head 
to support his rider; he wants it for other things, 
and comfort and peace are as necessary to him as to 
a man. 

I do not wish to imply that correct balance is im- 
possible unless a man has learnt to ride without 
reins; there are many fine horsemen to-day who 
have never ridden w'ithout either reins or stirrups 
in their lives, but they are exceptional men, and 
would have attained perfection all the sooner had 
their early training been without reins. I have seen 
other men, reputed to be good riders, who fell off 
when asked to jump a small hurdle without them, 
thereby showing that they had never acquired cor- 
rect balance. I have no hesitation in saying that in 
making an all-round horseman it is very much 
quicker to begin without reins at once than to wait 
until the rider's education is almost complete. 
Hayes rightly says that holding on by them is a most 
difficult fault to eradicate if once learnt. 

At the French Horse Show of 1865 ^^ the 
Champs Elysees, the Saumur pupils gave a wonder- 
ful display of Haute Ecole riding and other feats, 



Reins v. No Reins 147 

the least successful of which was jumping a low 
hurdle (Thormanby). Later on, officers on the 
Continent began organizing jumping competitions 
and steeplechases, and as the outcome of their ex- 
perience declared that the best and most scientific 
method of instruction in riding was to commence 
without reins. Jumping had taught them that more 
freedom of movement for horse and man was neces- 
sary, and that this was the way to attain it. We 
Englishmen alone lagged behind, though since 1907 
the custom has been gradually gaining ground. 
In our Army, instead of following th& advice and 
benefiting by the experience of our own writers on 
the subject, we have waited for Europe to show us 
the best way. 

M. Bourgelat, writing in 1744, remarked that 
riding with the end of the rein in the right hand 
might be practised with great caution on a well 
" dressed " horse, and that it gave " prodigious 
grace to the horseman " ; but care should be taken 
to " counterbalance " by leaning the body back ! 
Berenger recommended instruction without reins, 
Pembroke also, but only for *' unfeeling fellows," 
and Adams prescribed it for those who did not 



148 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

benefit from repeated " explanation and admoni- 
tion." At a later date we have writers with more 
decided opinions ; Whyte Melville, Walsh ( for some 
time editor of the Field), Rarey, Hayes, and Dwyer: 
all are strong on the point of allowing no man to 
jump a horse with reins unless he can do so without. 
Whyte Melville says that " the boy should never be 
trusted with a bridle until it is perfectly immaterial 
to him whether he has hold of it or not." 

To carry out the practice in Austria they kept 
the pupil on the longe, but this is quite un- 
necessary where there is more than one rider, as 
horses will always follow a leader in the riding 
school or manege; it is only needful that the first 
horse should be ridden with reins. If the horses are 
at all unruly, first the odd numbers of the ride can 
drop their reins and then the even numbers. If the 
child beginner is nervous at first, he can go on the 
leading-rein, and he may with advantage be given 
a pair of ladies' safety irons to ride in. 

It is very hard on the beginner to deprive him of 
all means of support w^hen first mounted, and I con- 
sider it unsound even if time is no object. I there- 
fore strongly advocate commencing with stirrups, 
and only very occasionally allowing the pupil reins. 



XV 

AN IMPROVED METHOD 



XV 

AN IMPROVED METHOD 



" All that our fathers taught us of old pleases us now no more," 

Kipling. 



T PROPOSE in this chapter to describe all that my 
experience has led me to consider essential in 
teaching a man the elements of riding, with special 
attention to those points which are most often mis- 
understood by instructors. Without claiming that 
the following system as a whole is an original one, I 
submit that in three important particulars, viz., the 
preliminary gripping exercises, the successful use 
of the strap joining the stirrups, and the early and 
constant jumping without reins, it introduces new 
features of great value to teachers of equitation. 
It aims at inspiring confidence in the pupil by 
making falling off as difficult as possible; at the 
rapid acquisition of that bedrock of good horse- 
manship — a firm and well-balanced seat, which is the 
only foundation of good hands; and at the easy 

suppleness of body which marks the proficient, 

«5« 



152 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Preliminary Exercises. 

" In all labor there is profit." Proverbs xiv. v. 23. 

The gripping exercises for beginning to de- 
velop those muscles which are used in riding have 
already received mention : I will merely state here 
that they are invaluable as a preparation for riding 
proper and save a good deal of time, as the novice 
who has undergone them is physically able to apply 
his legs to his horse to keep his seat, and is fitted 
to undergo the fatigue of his lessons. 

The Strap ^ 

" Press not the falling man too far ! " — Shakespeare {Henry VIII.) 

If rapid progress is to be made the pupil must 
feel as comfortable as possible under the circum- 
stances, and be given confidence by avoidance of 
falls. A saddle covered with buckskin increases the 
friction between the leg and the flap, and if such a 
saddle is available the instructor should make use 
of it. The French have a saddle not unlike the 
Australian buck-jumping one, into which they force 

* This appliance was suggested to me by Colonel Charles Long, 
late R.H.A. 



An Improved Method 



153 



the man without any reference to his make and 
shape, in order to get his leg into the correct posi- 
tion. In a minor degree, tying 
the stirrups together (Figs. 3 
and 4), has a similar effect, but 
this is the smallest of the bene- 
fits derived from the use of this 
contrivance, which is of the 
greatest value. Its chief ad- 
vantage is that it makes fall- 
ing off under ordinary circum- 
stances extremely difficult; the 
leg cannot fly out very far from 
the saddle in any direction, so 
that if balance is lost it can be 
regained at once without a fall, 
whilst if the pupil flies up into 
the air his feet meet the arch of 
the stirrup-iron and he drops 
back into his seat. fig. 3— the stirrups 

Now, when a man falls his Z^:;'':^.'!^:^ 
frame becomes rigid, and that through a runner on the 

. girth.) 

is why he so easily breaks his 

bones : it therefore follows that, when he thinks he is 




154 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

going to fall, he stiffens himself all over, and thereby 
loses all chance of keeping his balance. With a 
short experience of the strap comes confidence, and 
the pupil allows his muscles to relax. The impor- 
tance of this result cannot be exaggerated. Asshe- 
ton Smith's famous maxim that no man can be 
called a horseman until he knows how to fall is 
hardly one for a beginner. 

During instruction in jumping this strap is more 
than useful, as the confidence it gives the pupil 
enables him to center his attention on the instructor 
and attend to his directions. After his first few 
jumps he loses his nervousness and begins to take 
pleasure in the exercise. It is now possible to give 
him early and continual practice in jumping low 
obstacles without danger of over-fatigue, which is 
the real secret of getting a man quickly settled into 
his saddle, and is the best of lessons in balance. 

In France they train horses to rear and kick at 
the bidding of the instructor. The horse, who is 
called a " sauteur," is tied by the head between two 
padded " piliers," and the pupils mount, in turn, at 
the end of the lesson. The object of this is to teach 
the man to adjust his body to the fore-and-aft move- 
ment of the horse: side-balance does not, of course, 
come into play because of the horse not advancing. 



An Improved Method 155 

Constant jumping, which is impossible in the earlier 
stages without the strap, will answer the purpose 
and is of greater benefit to the pupil: it is more 
practical and does not require a specially trained 
animal. The sauteur is, however, doubtless most 
useful to the '' Ecuyer," for practising the *' cour- 
bettes," " cabrioles," and *' croupades," he has to 
perform daily on his own horse. At the Fort Riley 
Mounted Service School (Kansas) the sauteur is 
used for the practical purpose of teaching the pupil 
how to sit a buck-jumper. 

The strap further makes it difficult for the novice 
to lose his stirrups, besides enabling him to retake 
them quickly after he has been riding without them 
by order of the instructor. 

During over five years' experience of this con- 
trivance with all sorts and conditions of men and 
horses, I have never seen a case of dragging. On 
one occasion, indeed, I caused an officer's foot to be 
made fast in the stirrup and had him dragged for 
experimental purposes, and it did not appear that 
the strap joining the stirrups increased the danger. 
As a matter of fact, with stirrups tied together it is 
impossible to get dragged if hung up in the stirrup 
on tlie opposite side to v/hich the fall occurs — a 
common cause of accidents. Care must, however, 



156 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

be taken that the strap is properly fitted. If 
too tight, the man's knee is brought away from 
the saddle and its purpose is defeated. If too loose, 
it of course does not come into play as soon as it 
might and there is a danger of the horse getting his 
hind-legs through it when jumping. 

This contrivance should not be used after the 
initial stages of jumping. If the fence is big the 
animal is more liable to fall, when the pupil may 
share the fate which sometimes befalls the accom- 
plished horseman and get mixed up with his horse 
on the ground. 

It is incidentally worth noting that the strap is 
useful to anyone who has the misfortune to have 
to ride a bad buck-jumper, and I have been informed 
that it is not unknown to the cowboy. In our 
Colonies a rope is sometimes placed round the 
saddle and made fast over the rider's thighs in 
order to secure his seat. 

Jumping 

" I told him, If you will but Sit Still, I warrant you the Horse will 
go Well with you, But a Man (said he, with a great Oath) cannot Sit 
Still. Which was said Knowingly, and like a Horse-Man ; for, to 
Sit Still belongs only to a Great Master'' Newcastle. 

" Do not be sure that you have a firm seat until you have tried the 
experiment of sitting a leap with nothing to hold on by." 

Whyte Melville. 

Jumping without reins for the comparative begin- 



An Improved Method 



157 



ner is almost a new practice as far as England is 
concerned. I will therefore enter somewhat fully 
into the best method of carrying it out. 

It is quite possible to allow your pupils to begin 
jumping low obstacles at their eighth or ninth 
lesson, provided they have been 
through the preliminary gripping ex- 
ercises and are riding with the strap 
joining the stirrups (Fig. 4). 

A small log of wood or a hurdle 
laid flat will do to commence with, 
after which three or four movable 
hurdles similar to those shown in Fig. 
5 will be required: they have the ad- 
vantage of upsetting if the horse 
strikes them. They should be about 
two feet high when topped with gorse 
or brushwood; the double rails allow 
of the furze being replaced when 
worn, and as these fences are not 
fixtures they can be taken out of the 
training ground when not in use. They may be 
raised when necessary by means of wooden blocks ; 
but for obvious reasons it is essential to have them 



FIG. 4. 
THE STRAP. 



158 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

low at first. If the jump is fairly long the in- 
structor will soon find wings unnecessary : I shall 
have more to say on this subject in the section 
devoted to horse-training. It will, however, not 
be out of place here to mention that there is very 
little refusing where horses are jumped without 
reins. Animals that have been accustomed to sup- 
porting their riders by the reins will rush a little 
at first, but on recovering from their astonishment 
at finding that the exercise no longer involves a 
severe jerk in the mouth, they will — unless they 
are very stale — neither refuse nor rush, especially 
if they are fed after the first fence or two. 

If only one pupil is under instruction, let him be 
longed over on a single rein, when a man on either 
side should run along with the horse after the jump, 
to avoid bringing him round on the curve after land- 
ing, which would increase the rider's difficulties. 

With a ride of several pupils, and with fairly 
handy horses, a jump can be put at each side of the 
school, and the horses allowed to go round over 
them in single file at suitable intervals; but in an 
out-door manege, where the restraining effect of 
the four walls is absent, it is easier to put the jumps 



An Improved Method 159 

in the center and send the horses over them one by 
one. If the leader pulls up when he gets to the other 
side, it will be found that the other horses will go to 
him and stop of their own accord. An even better 
plan, if a spare horse is available, is to hobble him 
a little way from the fence on the landing side, and 
allow the other horses to collect round him. Al- 
though at this stage of the course the actual jump- 
ing is to take place without reins, it will be neces- 
sary that the pupil should pick them up both before 
and after jumping; dropping them as soon as the 
horse has got his head straight at the fence, and 
taking them up again after landing in order to 
steady the animal. 

When riding at the log or the hurdle laid flat the 
trot will be a fast enough pace, but when the pupil 
is able to jump higher obstacles a steady canter will 
be easiest for both man and horse. 

There is some difference of opinion as to whether 
it is sufficient for the pupil to hold the end of the 
rein in the palm of the hand, let out to the full ex- 
tent, or if he should drop it altogether and fold his 
arms. The first method certainly removes the pos- 
sibility of the rein coming over the horse's head on 



i6d Modern Riding and Horse Education 

landing, and it is not so unnerving to the novice, but 
it does not afford the same lesson in balance, as it 
gives some support to the rider. As a rule any 
horse will pull up when he gets his foot through 
the reins, and if not he can be trained to do so. 
The advantages of folding the arms in front of 
the body are, that it is left perfectly free to conform 
to the movements of the horse, and that the arms 
cannot be used to maintain balance. It incidentally 
develops the pupil's nerve and teaches him to keep 
his arms and hands quiet. It is therefore best to be- 
gin with the end of the rein held in the full of the 
hand, and to pass on quickly to practice with arms 
folded. 

As to what instructions the pupil should be given, 
let him be told to grip tightly with his knees and 
thighs, and to lean forward when going at the 
fence; if he is successful in this the body will 
soon swing in harmony with the horse. It will be 
found that most beginners are inclined to lean back 
when the horse takes off. 

When the pupil can sit over a small obstacle 
without reins and stirrups he should be made to 
jump the same thing with the reins before being 







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i62 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

asked to negotiate anything higher. This takes 
longer than any inexperienced person would sup- 
pose, thereby showing how difficult it is to regulate 
the actions of the arms, shoulders, and hands, even 




Fig. 6. — The beginner's arms correctly placed when landing. 

when the seat is comparatively firm. To make sure 
that the horse will have as much room as possible 

on landing, and that his rider will not be pulled 

out of the saddle, his arms and hands should be 



An Improved Method 163 

correctly placed as in Fig. 5 each time he is about 
to ride at the fence. The importance of this precau- 
tion cannot be exaggerated, and never seems to be 
properly recognized by the pupil. The evils arising 
from its neglect are illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. 
The position of the body is not quite forward 
enough in Figs. 5 and 6, which are only intended to 
illustrate the position of the arms. 

It will also be found that when he is jumping, the 
novice's shoulders do not open, nor his hands drop 
downwards and forwards as they should do when 
the horse is descending. Experience has taught 
me that the quickest and best way to put this right 
is to tell the pupil to let the reins slip through his 
fingers as he extends his arms when the horse is in 
the air, however small the obstacle. By doing this, 
his seat will not be interfered with, and those 
wooden movements of the arms and wrists which 
are so easily acquired and so hard to lose willl be 
avoided. I am told that the Ecuyers at Saumur 
very generally follow this custom of letting the 
reins slip when the horse is on the downward plane. 
Some of those jockeys who do not land over a fence 
leaning forward, give extra head-room to the horse 




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An Improved Method 



165 



by taking one hand off the reins and slewing the 
free shoulder backwards (Plate XVIII), thus allow- 
ing the other shoulder and arm to advance consid- 




FiG. 8. — Result of holding the reins too short. 

erably farther to the front than would be possible 

with the shoulders square. It would not surprise 
me to be told that some of these gentlemen were 



x66 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

unaware that this was their practice, but the on- 
looker sees most of the game, especially when ac- 
companied by a camera. 

Some horses undoubtedly require more head- 
room, if the jump is a high one, than a man can give 
them without leaning too far forward on landing, 
and some men are so short in the arms that they are 
physically incapable of giving a horse enough free- 
dom without letting the reins slip, or by taking one 
hand off the reins and bringing the opposite shoulder 
forward. 

After a certain amount of practice over one jump, 
a second one should be placed at a distance of about 
five yards from it, and the man taught to negotiate 
this in-and-out. Phillips mentions this as being an 
admirable lesson for the purpose of securing a firm 
seat for riding kickers, but his directions as to how 
to poise the body during the process would lead 
to disaster. He recommends that the single jump 
should be a standing one — the hardest of all for 
beginners — ^and advises the man to lean back as the 
horse takes off. 

Half an hour's jumping a day will not be too 
much for the novice after his tenth lesson; it is but 
a small effort to the horse over low obstacles. 



An Improved Method 167 

HINTS TO INSTRUCTORS 

" He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly." 

Proverbs xiv, v. 17. 

«• He that regardeth reproof is prudent." 

Proverbs xv, v. 5. 

To make any system of teaching riding a success, 
we require a trained horse of a temperate disposi- 
tion. If he is riding a slug, the pupil should carry 
a whip ; remember that he does not know how, and 
therefore cannot use his legs, and will only tire him- 
self in the attempt to do so. The accepted meaning 
of the word " trained " will be given later. I do not 
wish to imply that such a horse is absolutely neces- 
sary ; a man can learn to sit on any animal that will 
not run away. 

The instructor should first of all be a horseman 
himself, ahhough there is no greater fallacy than the 
common idea, prevalent only in England and her 
colonies, that because a man can ride he can teach 
others to do so. He should know what he is at, and 
have an encouraging and sympathetic disposition. 
The teacher of riding must remember that nerve 
grows best out of confidence, and that before now 
pluck has been killed by avoidable accidents. He 



i68 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

should work chiefly by demonstration, and explain 
the meaning of his instructions as he goes along. It 
is much easier to ride up to a man and show him 
how to sit or how to handle the horse than merely to 
tell him how to do so, and he will be far more likely 
to remember it; he will also try twice as hard to 
place himself correctly if he understands what he 
is being asked to perform. 

The instructor should never shout; it affects the 
horse adversely as well as the man, and he must al- 
ways keep his temper. Shouting at a horse is a 
sign of weakness in either a rider or a trainer of 
young horses. 

The pupil should have well-fitting breeches, so 
that he may not get rubbed or galled, and his boots 
should be supple and smooth in the sole and have 
a long, flat heel, for it has often happened that men 
have been hung up in the stirrup because their boots 
lacked these qualities. Rising to the trot is uncom- 
fortable in thick boots if the ball of the foot is on 
the iron. 

Let the beginner saddle and bridle his own mount; 
this is the most practical way of teaching him how 
the gear should fit. The bridle should be a single- 



An Improved Method 169 

reined, thick, smooth snaffle. When the reins are in 
use they should be held long, and one in each hand. 
The saddle should fit closely to the horse ; if it does 
not, the weight of the man's body is raised and he 
is less steady when the horse is in motion, making 
balance more difficult; a closely-fitting saddle will 
enable the rider to get down into his seat. 

Many and various are the directions given as to 
mounting; some authorities would have us make 
six separate movements of it. Mounting on the 
near side has become customary because in the old 
days riders carried heavy weapons in their right 
hands, and could not conveniently have mounted on 
the off side,^ but all beginners should learn to do so 
on both. Let the pupil turn his back to the horse's 
head, and if he is mounting from the left, place his 
left foot in the stirrup, catch hold of the horse's 
mane if he has one, and if not, the pommel, and 
spring lightly into the saddle. Some authorities do 

^ In very early days, before stirrups were invented, there was a 

hook on the man's spear on which he placed his foot and raised 

himself when he wished to mount. At other times horses were 

taught to kneel for their riders to get on, or short ladders were used, 

and it is recorded that in some countries noblemen were accustomed 

to mount by the aid of their attendants* backs. We also hear of 

mounting-stones being placed by the roadside for the convenience 
of travelers. 



170 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

not recommend the back being turned to the horse's 
head, but it has these advantages — if the animal 
moves on it helps the man into the saddle, and pre- 
vents his being kicked if the horse is tickled with the 
toe in mounting. The only objection is that a play- 
ful horse may give you a pinch in the region of the 
coat-tails, but surely this would be an additional in- 
centive to springing quickly into the saddle. 

As to the way the man should hold himself on 
the horse, some writers would have no directions 
given him at first, whilst others would, so to speak, 
place him by rule of thumb, even to the length of 
making him hold his hands in the center of his body, 
and exactly three inches from it! Harry Hieover, 
a clever horseman and knowing writer, says : " You 
don't sit bolt upright on your chair; what on earth 
makes you do it on your horse? Leave it to the 
soldiers." In this as in all else there is a golden , 
mean ; give too many directions and you get stiffness, 
give none and you make balance more difficult for 
the tyro. Explain to your charge that his difficulties 
will be increased unless he gets his seat well under 
him, excepting, of course, when rising to the trot, 
or going very fast, when his shoulders should natu- 



An Improved Method 171 

rally be advanced. An erect carriage can be assumed 
without hollowing the back or sitting stiffly. 

Fitting the stirrups to the pupil's comfort is of 
great importance, and the best way of doing so is to 
place him in the saddle with his knee at what appears 
to be the height to suit his thigh, and then to stand 
in front of the horse and shorten or lengthen the 
leathers until the base of the stirrup is in line with 
the sole of the boot. Further adjustment may be 
needed when the pupil has been riding about for a 
time. As Rarey says: "There are certain rules 
laid down as to the length of the man's stirrup leath- 
ers, but the only good rule is that they should be 
short enough to give the rider full confidence in his 
seat, and full power over a pulling horse." This 
sound maxim may well be borne in mind when 
fitting stirrups. 

As much practice as possible should be given to 
the pupil without fatiguing him or allowing him 
to be chafed. A man will learn in a third the num- 
ber of lessons if he begins with one a day and goes 
on to two, instead of riding only twice a week. 

When some progress has been made, a grown-up 
pupil should have a change of horses, especially for 



172 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

work without stirrups; this is easy enough when two 
or three men are under instruction, but presents diffi- 
culties with a single learner and a limited stud. If 
riding is acquired on one horse only, the instructor 
must not expect his pupil to show anything like the 
same proficiency the first time he gets on to another 
one. 

The necessary intervals for rest should not be 
wasted; the points of a horse, his simple ailments, 
and horsemastership, are very important parts of 
any horseman's education, and are too often neg- 
lected. The sportsman's pleasure depends upon his 
possessing a sufficient knowledge of these subjects; 
and as far as the soldier is concerned, the latest 
quick-firing gun is useless unless it can be brought 
into action at the required moment; very little in- 
formation is to be obtained from mounted scouts if 
their horses cannot travel; wide strategic move- 
ments by cavalry cannot be thought of, nor the army 
in the field properly fed, without continual and 
tireless care of the horse. The army with the fittest 
horses at the outbreak of hostilities has a great in- 
itial advantage, and, providing that the officers and 
men are well versed in their care and management, 



An Improved Method 173 

this advantage remains to the end of the campaign. 
In the South African War the English losses in 
horseflesh amounted to the appalling total of 340,- 
000, and it is idle to suppose that better horseman- 
agement might not have considerably lessened the 
death-roll. 

The next section consists of a rough guide to fifty 
lessons in equitation, which can be modified to suit 
the pupil's strength and fitness. His progress will, 
to a great extent, depend upon himself. 



XVI 

INSTRtrCTIONAI. EXERCISES 



XVI 

INSTRUCTIONAL EXERCISES 

" Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge." 

Proverbs xii. v. x. 

« Be to his faults a little blind, 
Be to his virtues ever kind." 
John Jorrocks's version of Matthew Prior. 

^T^ HE following is a rough guide for progressive 
riding lessons, each of about an hour's dura- 
tion, which are to follow ten short lessons on the 
dummy horse. Quicker results will be obtained after 
riding commences if the pupil continues his exercises 
on the dummy horse at a separate hour of the day. 
Proficiency in riding is attained more quickly by 
some than by others, as in everything else, and it 
will be found better after the thirtieth lesson to 
separate the good from the indifferent pupils. As 
before mentioned, if only one beginner is under in- 
struction his horse should be longed; if there is 
more than one, a man who can ride should for the 

first few lessons take the lead round the manege or 

177 



X78 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

school, in order to set the pace. The detail of the 
necessary aid and indications will be found at the 
end of the section. 

First Lesson 

The pupil should be taught by practical demon- 
stration how to mount, hold his reins (if this has 
not already been done on the dummy horse), and 
how to make his horse move off at a walk and turn 
to the right and left. The instructor need not be 
particular at this stage as to whether the animal 
turns on his forehand, center, or haunches. 

The first day's lesson should merely consist in 
walking round the school, first on one rein and 
then on the other, and the men should dismount at 
frequent intervals; but rising in the saddle with- 
out reins should be practised, as it must be remem- 
bered that whatever exercise the pupils have had on 
dummy horses, those useful machines do not move 
forward, and that the conditions are therefore some- 
what different on real ones. All the above in- 
structions can be given to the pupil on the longe if 
necessary. 



Instructional Exercises 179 

Second Lesson 

Balancing exercises to be commenced, and con- 
tinued at a walk up to the ninth lesson : hands 
held above the head, touching the toe on either side, 
and leaning backwards and forwards in the saddle. 

Balancing exercises cannot be undertaken at 
this early stage unless previously practised on the 
dummy horse. In the Austrian Army beginners 
are supplied with india-rubber balls attached by an 
elastic to the wrist. It is claimed that catching the 
ball affords a useful lesson in balance, but I have 
not found this practice necessary. 

Short trotting lessons with and without reins but 
with stirrups.^ 

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Lessons 

Short trotting lessons as above and also without 
reins or stirrups. Once round the manege will be 
found sufficient when stirrups are first dispensed 
with. Part of these lessons, and subsequent ones 
up to the thirtieth, will be done on a circle at either 

' It is a help with raw beginners to use horses which will answer 
to the voice, and will trot, walk, and halt at the word of the 
instructor. 



i8o Modern Riding and Horse Education 

end of the manege, first on one hand and then on 
the other. In the initial stages the principle must be 
observed that the tyro is never to be allowed to use 
his reins unless he is riding with stirrups, because 
he can have very little control over his horse without 
the purchase they afford. 

Sixth Lesson 

The same as No. 5, with the addition of two or 
three canters with stirrups and reins. 

Seventh and Eighth Lessons 

Trotting lesson without reins, and as much with- 
out stirrups as the man can stand without fatigue. 
Short cantering lesson with stirrups and without 
reins. Three or four jumps at a trot over a very 
low obstacle about one foot high, with stirrups well 
home; end of the rein to be held in the full of the 
hand. 

Ninth to Twelfth Lessons (inclusive) 

Trotting and short cantering lessons without 
reins or stirrups. Balancing exercises at a trot. 
Number of jumps to be increased daily, and 



Instructional Exercises iSx 

negotiated at a canter. A few jumps without reins 
and with stirrups at the end of each lesson. 

Thirteenth to Sixteenth Lessons (inclusive) 

Same as above : all jumping to be done without 
reins. At least twenty jumps for each pupil. 
Frequent changes of horse excepting for jumping' 

Seventeenth Lesson 

Jumping lesson over a one-foot obstacle at a 
canter, without stirrups; the end of the rein to be 
held in the full of the right hand. 

Trotting, cantering, and balancing exercises as 
above. 

Eighteenth to Twentieth Lessons (inclusive) 

Same as above, with the addition of balancing 
exercises at a canter, and frequent change of horses 
for jumping. 

Jumping without reins or stirrups gradually in- 
troduced.^ 

1 The first time the pupil jumps without reins or stirrups he 
should be cautioned against leaning back : in fact he may be told 
to lean well forward, as grief is rare from leaning too far forward, 
but is sure to come if the body is leant too far back. 



l82 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Twenty-first to Thirtieth Lessons 
(inclusive) 

Jumping with reins and stirrups over a one-foot 
obstacle, and then over two one-foot jumps five 
yards apart, to form an in-and-out, and thirdly over 
a single jump, to be gradually raised to a height of 
two feet, and negotiated without reins but with 
stirrups. 

Reining back. 

Trotting, cantering lessons, etc., as before. 

Thirty-first to Fortieth Lessons (inclusive) 

First half-hour each day of independent work for 
each pupil in the open : — Cantering on the circle, 
and passaging. 

Second half-hour in the school or manege : — 
Jumping a two-foot obstacle, gradually heightened 
to three feet, alternately with and without reins and 
stirrups. 

Fortieth to Fiftieth Lessons (inclusive) 
First half-hour: — Independent work; making a 



Instructional Exercises 183 

horse change at a canter by the movement of the 
body; the use of the body as a pivot in turning 
(see "Distribution of the Rider's Weight"). 

Figure-of-eight at a canter. 

One-handed riding (see ** Use and Misuse of the 
Hands"). 

Riding over broken ground and up and down hill. 

Pupils who are sufficiently advanced to be 
allowed spurs and a double bridle. 

Jumping (over single and double obstacles) of a 
height suitable to the pupil's progress. 

As before mentioned, properly-trained horses are 
a great advantage, but good results can be obtained 
on badly-trained ones. 

In 1907 I experimented with a class of Horse 
Artillery trumpeters ; they went through a course of 
forty lessons similar to those above, but they also 
had thirty lessons on the dummy horse. At the end 
of the course they could — 

Jump a bushed gorse fence 3 ft. 9 in. high and 
3 ft. 4 in. broad, with and without reins or stirrups ; 

Jump an in-and-out 3 ft. 9 in. high and i ft. 6 in. 
broad ; 



i84 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

Do a figure-of-eight correctly at a canter; 

Ride up and down a steep incline at any pace ; 

Gallop a horse in the open and pull up quickly. 

The instructor, Sergeant-Major J. Lynch 
(W. O.), was a very exceptional man, of long ex- 
perience, and the horses were perfectly trained. I 
wish to emphasize the fact that a first-class in- 
structor is invaluable. 

Since these experiments were first made it has 
been found possible to pass out classes of ordinary 
recruits with a firm seat independent of the reins in 
an average of the same number of lessons, and with- 
out any of them having had a fall. 

No Continental nation has attempted anything of 
the sort in the time. 

The following is a description of the combined 
use of the aid and the indications, to be explained 
and demonstrated to the pupil as the different 
movements occur in the instructional exercises : — 

To make the horse move off at a walk. — Ease the 
reins and apply both legs without drawing them 
back. 

To make the horse turn to the right. — Lean 
slightly to the right, pull the right rein, and apply 



Instructional Exercises 185 

the left leg drawn back in order to stay the horse's 
quarters when the turn is completed. 

To make the horse turn to the left. — Reverse the 
indications. 

To stop. — A steady but light pull on both reins. 

To make the horse trot. — The same indications 
should be used as for making him start at a walk, 
but with increased pressure of the legs. 

Cantering. — To make a horse strike off at a 
canter with the near foreleg leading, apply the 
right rein,^ and the right leg drawn back. Reverse 
the indications for the off fore. If a horse is canter- 
ing on the wrong leg, i. e., the outward one, wait 
till he gets to the end of the manege, and then direct 
the pupil to pull his head into the corner as he turns. 
He will then change on to the inward leg; if not, 
he should be pulled up into a trot and made to 
strike off afresh. As a rule no difficulty will be ex- 
perienced in this direction when moving on the 

' The right rein is chosen, in order to advance the horse's left 
shoulder and at the same time to take the weight off it by bringing 
the horse's head slightly to the right. Some writers object to the 
head being inclined either way, as they say it is apt to make the horse 
canter crab-fashion, but I have never found this to happen in practice 
when the action on the mouth is only momentary. If the rein in ques- 
tion is kept permanently shortened in the riding school the hors^ will 
Qcrtainly go crab-fashion to avoid the wall. 



i86 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

circle, as it is natural for the horse to lead with his 
inward leg. The method of making an untrained 
horse equally handy on either foreleg at a canter 
will be dealt with in the section on " Futher Horse- 
training." 

Reining back. — The horse should be put back a 
length at a time by a gentle feeling of both reins, 
w^hilst the rider's legs keep the quarters from flying 
out and prevent the horse from low^ering his head 
and so getting out of hand. 

Passaging — The passage, a common term in 
English riding-schools, means either moving the 
horse sideways with his head slightly leading or 
moving him diagonally, the latter movement being 
sometimes known as the '' half-passage " ; this must 
not be confused with the " shoulder in," in which 
the horse's head is bent away from the direction 
in which he is going. On the Continent the word 
" passage" means a high and collected trot. To 
passage to the right, feel the right rein a little 
stronger than the left, and apply the left leg drawn 
back. To passage to the left reverse the above. 
This is a most useful lesson as a preparation for 
gate-opening. 



Instructional Exercise? 187 

Some teachers of riding will consider tliit the so- 
called " aids '' given in the above lesson are, to say 
the least of it, insufficient, both in number and detail, 
but I hold that this is not the case if the horse is 
trained and balanced. I do not think that enough 
distinction is made in equine literature between the 
" aids " required for the trained and the untrained 
animal. I have before me now a widely-read book 
on riding, and as an example of unnecessary detail 
I will quote the instructions it gives for pulling a 
horse up to a standstill. " Close both legs, feel both 
reins, raise the hands, bring the weight of the body 
back, and relax the pressure of the legs and hands 
as soon as the horse halts." Now, a man uses the 
pressure of the lower part of his legs to start his 
horse ; it therefore seems unreasonable to do the 
■ same thing when he wishes the animal to stop. It 
may, however, be necessary to apply the legs to the 
horse when he is halted, should he evince a disposi- 
tion to back. Ladies who still ride as their mothers 
did, stop their horses very well with no pressure 
from the legs : why then should it be necessary for 
the man? Again, why raise both hands? The 
raising or lowering of the hands should be unneces- 



i88 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

sary if the horse is well balanced and carries his 
head properly; if he does not answer to this descrip- 
tion it is just as likely as not that you will have to 
lower your hands to make him pull up. 

A very knowledgeable man on matters equine, 
and a fine man to hounds, remarked after reading 
through the above : " Why give the indications for 
cantering first on one leg and then on the other? 
Nobody cares when they are in the field which leg a 
horse is leading with ; all they care about is that the 
animal should know how to change legs if he turns 
quickly and finds himself leading with the outward 
one. Why not simply say, * To make a horse 
canter, catch him by the head and press him hard 
with the legs ' ? This is what any self-taught rider 
does." There is truth enough in this, and every 
rider does not want to be a horse trainer, but the 
answer to it is as follows : Unless a horse canters 
round the school or manege with his inward leg 
leading he is liable to come down at the corners, 
and therefore for the learner's sake certain simple 
indications must be laid down for making the animal 
start on the inward leg. No ordinary rider will 
bother his head either to remember or to apply 



Instructional Exercises 189 

complicated aids, and no novice could do so if he 
would. 

The indications for the " shoulder in " are pur- 
posely omitted here, as I consider that a horse's 
head should not be turned away from the direction 
in which he is going; the passage and half-passage 
are all-sufficient for diagonal and side movements. 

Although the subject of horse training is not here 
under discussion, I would remind the reader that a 
strong and frequent application of the legs is indis- 
pensable in the making of a young horse. 



PART II 

ON TRAINING HORSES 

XVII 

-WHAT TO TEACH 



XVII 

"WHAT TO TEACH 

" Now, in equitation there can be no divided empire, and the horse 
will be master if the man is not." Whyte Melville. 

T F teaching the man to ride is an art, training 
the horse is a much higher and more difficult 
one, demanding expert knowledge, good horseman- 
ship, abounding patience, ready resource, and a 
quick, observant eye. The ** colt without under- 
standing " not only, as Berenger says, has to learn 
the language of man, but must be gentled, mouthed, 
and taught to go " balanced " in his paces. In addi- 
tion to this his muscles and sinews must be so de- 
veloped that when he is trained he is thoroughly 
well fitted to do the work that will be demanded of 
him. 

Balance as applied to a horse is not very gen- 
erally understood in England, which may in some 
degree account for the lack of it in many so-called 
" trained animals." He should be permanently 

193 



194 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

balanced, unless nature has done it for him, to 
enable him to go lightly in front when required, in 
order that he may be a pleasant ride. 

To be at his best when ridden the horse must in- 
stinctively balance himself at all paces and in all 
situations, and educating him to do this may be 
termed the alpha and omega of horse training. 

The colt instinctively learns how to balance him- 
self from birth : by raising or lowering the head 
and neck he shifts his balance backwards and for- 
wards and does not feel his weight any more than 
we do ours ; but when he is backed his conformation 
makes all the difference to his ability to adjust him- 
self to the new conditions. He has now to carry 
some 150 lbs. placed above and behind his normal 
center of gravity, and this and the undeveloped con- 
dition of the muscles of his back and limbs accounts 
for his awkward gait when first mounted. If a 
horse is well made, equilibrium comes to him easily 
when mounted, and his muscles strenj^then in the 
proper proportion, providing that he is properly 
ridden. If, however, he has not been kindly treated 
by nature, we must, as far as she will allow it, help 
him to lighten his forehand at the trot and canter 



What to Teach 195 

by a judicious raising and placing of his head and 
neck. Let us endeavor to find out how this may be 
done without depriving the animal of liberty of ac- 
tion. 

If first the fore and then the hind limbs of a 
horse are placed on a sensitive weighing-machine, 
it will be found that the forehand is heavier than the 
hind-quarters; should the animal hold his neck 
horizontal so that the head is vertical the excess is 
increased according to the length of the neck and 
the size of the head Exhaustive w^eighing ex- 
periments, carried out in England and on the Con- 
tinent, prove that from 14 to 28 lbs. weight is taken 
off the fore-legs by raising the head from the ver- 
tical position to a higher one, at which the front 
of the face makes an angle of 45 degrees with the 
ground. The head of the horse alone weighs from 
40 to 50 lbs. 

Other interesting points to be gleaned from 
horse- weighing experiments are that about 66% of 
the rider's weight is carried on the forelegs if he 
sits upright, and that if the forehand is weighed 
with the man leaning well forward and then leaning 
well back, there will be a difference of weight of 



196 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

approximately 50 lbs. on the forelegs. Readers 
who are skeptical of the value of the " distribution 
of the rider's weight " as an aid will do well to bear 
this fact in mind. 

Veterinary science supplies us with certain in- 
formation concerning the mechanism of the horse 
which every trainer ought to be in possession of if 
he is to get full value out of his work. Without en- 
tering into technical detail, the chief muscle which 
advances the foreleg runs from the top of the head 
to the bone below the blade-bone. Its orig-in is 
from the back of the head and the first four bones 
of the neck (see Fig. 9, the point of attachment to 
the blade-bone or humerus is marked with a cross). 
If we artificially shorten this muscle by pronounced 
flexion of the neck we interfere with free shoulder- 
action, reduce the horse's speed, and cause him to 
resort to increased knee-action to raise his forelegs. 
Veterinary experts also tell us that the joint between 
the head and the first bone of the neck is not con- 
structed for a facial angle approaching the perpen- 
dicular; that the bones of the neck are not suitably 
arranged for continuous curvature ; and that the 
tissues of the throat are displaced if the nose is 



What to Teach I97 

tucked in, when the gland may be seen bulging out 
behind the edge of the jaw. A horse that makes 
no noise in a snaffle may roar in a bit, though the 
noise may not be due to paralysis. 

A horse never voluntarily arches his neck to any 




Fig. 9. 
degree excepting when he wind-sucks or stretches 
himself. The confirmed puller does sometimes do 
it for a purpose, but the whole tendency of the free 
horse is to extend his head, and most of us have 
watched with admiration the light elastic movement 
of the young horse surprised when grazing in a 



XqS Modern Riding and Horse Education 

field, and the high carriage of his head as he trots 
away. The animal certainly has no weight on his 
back, but we may note that the free shoulder-action 
we admire accompanies a neck held high and a 
head if anything extended. 

Perhaps the best illustration of the part played 
in advancing the forelegs, by the important muscle I 
have mentioned, is to be observed in the different 
effect on the action of the horse of the " over-draw 
check-rein " (Plate XIX) used in trotting matches, 
and the English bearing-rein. The first named is 
designed to bring the head up and the nose out, thus 
stretching the neck-muscle to its extreme length and 
giving the quickest and freest shoulder action, which 
results in increased speed for trotting matches. 
The English bearing-rein (Plate XX), on the con- 
trary, arches the horse's neck and brings his nose in, 
which produces exaggerated knee-action and loss of 
forward movement, but allows the driver a fuller 
power of control. 

For pleasant hacks, such as the gaited horses 
of Kentucky, and for the English park hack, the 
arched-neck, nose-in profile recommended by 
Baucher and other Haute Ecole enthusiasts in no 
way detracts from their usefulness, and they are 




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What to Teach ipQ 

comfortable to ride, but " hacks " pure and simple 
are rare in England now; most saddle-horses are 
bred to be either racers, hunters, or polo ponies. It 
is probably for this reason that we Britishers have 
not generally adopted the methods of Baucher and 
his disciples. The hunting man, for instance, must 
have a horse trained to use his shoulders with com- 
plete freedom, or he will not get the best pace out of 
his mount when he requires it, and will probably 
come to grief when jumping a fence with a ditch 
on the landing side. 

Doubtless the arched-neck, nose-in system of 
trainings, places the horse in the most advantageous 
position for control and with his hocks more under 
him, perhaps because, the arching being unnatural, 
he endeavors to escape from it by throwing his 
weight back. But leaving the hack out of the 
question, do these advantages compensate for the 
loss of that freedom which is so essential in the field ? 
We can always get a horse back on his hocks when 
occasion arises without this iron-bound system. 
The other extreme, the position the racing trotter 
is made to assume, with his nose poked out and up 
in the air, is equally unsuitable for general purposes, 
as the bit does not rest on the bars of the mouth. 



200 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

The medium course seems the most natural one to 
pursue, that is to say, to train the horse to carry 
his neck as high from the withers as is compatible 
with control, and to demand no pronounced flexion 
at the poll. I have obtained happy results from this 
procedure : once a horse learns to go light in front 
at a trot and canter with no hold on his mouth he 
will balance himself correctly without any excessive 
" collecting," and the rider's power of control is all- 
sufficient. 

The Arabs provide us with good examples of 
the two extremes. The true desert Arabs of Syria, 
who generally ride their mares, control them with a 
chain round the nose instead of a bit, and they move 
with as high a carriage of the head as a horse at 
liberty, whilst the agricultural population and towns- 
men use a bit of the severest pattern, and their 
horses carry their heads with the nose very much 
tucked in. 

I have not touched on the carriage of the head 
from the point of view of vision, as although Hayes 
insists that when the nose is brought in the vision 
is limited, Major-General F. Smith, Director of 
Veterinary Service, whom I have to thank for much 
valuable technical information, is not in agreement 



What to Teach 20i 

with him. The horse's eye is prominently set at the 
side of the face, and not in front as in ourselves; 
it has great rotatory powers, and the facial bones 
below it are narrowed, all of which enables the horse 
to see with facility in almost any position. 

A naturally well-balanced horse always wins the 
Derby, and there is no more trying course. By 
leaving the animal heavy in front at a trot and canter 
we sacrifice the possibility of making him a sure and 
comfortable ride, we contribute to the early break- 
down of his forelegs, and, most important of all, he 
will take it out of himself more quickly and so tire 
his rider and rob him of his sport; or, if in war, 
perhaps of his life. After an ill-made horse has 
been balanced he can always extend his neck to get 
his weight forward and so increase his powers of 
propulsion. 

Nothing makes him put his weight on his fore- 
hand more surely than being ridden by a man who 
constantly leans on the reins, — a practice which 
eventually leads, so to speak, to the horse pulling 
with his forelegs. 

General Sir Robert Baden Powell, in an article 
on balance in the Cavalry Journal of July, 1906, 
gives a practical example of its value for the long 



202 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

distance journeys that so often fall to the lot of the 
cavalry horse, as demonstrated in the long-distance 
riding competitions on the Continent. Lieutenant 
Allut, 28th (French) Dragoons, who won the com- 
petition in 1904, said that in selecting the horse from 
his squadron he went not so much by its history as 
by its balance : when he found a well-built horse 
which was light in the forehand he knew that he 
had one which would not easily tire and go lame 
from carrying all the weight on its forelegs. 

As the General explains, " in training a horse we 
should not only aim at teaching him to hold himself 
in the correct position at the different paces and 
movements, but also at developing the necessary 
muscles for keeping him permanently so placed or 
balanced." I shall have more to say on the way in 
which this can be done later on. 

So much for the foundation of the training neces- 
sary for every description of riding horse. When 
he has been made to undergo it we can proceed to 
specialize for the particular work which we require 
the animal to perform; be it hunting, polo, show 
jumping, or mounted combat; and it will repay us 
well if his mind has been developed as well as his 
muscle. 



XVIII 

THE HORSE'S MIND 



XVIII 

THE HORSE'S MIND 

" Therefore cultivate his intellect — I use the word advisedly — even 
before you enter on the development of his physical powers." 

Whyte Melville. 

TT would be out of place here to discuss the com- 
parative intellectual capacity of our domesti- 
cated animals, or to try to explain, as scientists do, 
that in the struggle for existence some races of wild 
animals develop higher mental powers than others, 
cither in pursuit of their prey or in evading the at- 
tacks of their enemies. Before, however, condemn- 
ing our horses as less intelligent than our dogs, we 
should remember that the former spend many hours 
out of the twenty- four tied up in front of a wall, a 
state of affairs which is not conducive to the develop- 
ment of the brain. 

Horses are not bred for brains, and authorities 
are not in agreement as to the extent to which they 
possess them, some even going so far as to say that 
any attempt at mental development may add to the 



2o6 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

trainer's troubles. Literature on the subject is some- 
what uncommon, though most authors touch upon 
it. Quite recently, however, Count Eugenio Marti- 
nengo Cesaresco has written a volume insisting on 
mind-development for horses if we wish to get full 
value out of the machine, and he has lately written 
to me to say that the eminent authority Professor 
Hobday approves of his psychology. 

In his book, the author takes a low view of the 
horse's mental capacity ; he writes : — " We have 
learnt the reason why the thunder is caused by 
lightning, but the horse cannot attain this. He stops 

at mere association and erroneously thinks 

that two things, however associated, one is the cause 
of the other (sic) although it is not." The caliber 
of the horse's mind, he says, must be carefully taken 
into account in administering both punishments and 
favors, and he quotes the following ancient fable 
as an instance of wrong association of a favor. A 
dog bit a man, and the man gave him bread in the 
hope that the dog would bite him no more. The re- 
sult was that the dog went about biting people when 
he was hungry, because he had obtained bread by 
that means before. As an example of wrong asso- 



The Horse's Mind 207 

ciation of punishment the Count tells us of a rider 
whose horse stopped *' because he ill-treated him in 
the mouth with his hands." When the horse stood 
still he did not punish him, but did so when the horse 
moved on again. The animal was thereby taught 
that " to stand still was good and to go on was bad." 
The author insists on the training of the mind 
and body together, which is only possible with indi- 
vidual attention, and points out the danger of hurry; 
vicious horses are made, he says, by being asked to 
do certain things without preparatory instruction of 
a gradual nature; and he adds that many horses 
merely from seeing that they have once been able 
to have their own way become " intractable and no 
longer liable to control." Develop the mental quali- 
ties of the horse, he says, and he will become more 
obedient; he agrees with the ancients, who con- 
sidered a good brain to be a valuable asset in a horse. 
Hayes takes the opposite view. In his book, " Points 
of a Horse," he disapproves of the development of 
a high degree of mental (i. e., reasoning) power in a 
horse, saying that it makes him impatient of control 
by man. His arguments are not convincing, and 
might equally well be applied to retrievers. In a 



2o8 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

previous work, " Illustrated Horse Breaking," he 
states that he has not been able to trace any indica- 
tion of reasoning power in a horse, by which he 
shows that he was not very clear in his own mind 
on the subject. 

Mr. E. T. Brewster has told us, in an interesting 
article in McClure's Magazine on the " Animal Mind 
From Inside," that the reason why the horse is so 
generally useful is far from complimentary to that 
noble animal. This is what he says. " He (the 
horse) possesses just the right degree of stupidity. 
If he were stupider he would be less plastic to ac- 
quire convenient habits. If he were cleverer he 
would acquire too many habits for himslf, and live 
too much his own life, like that particularly clever 
animal, the cat. The brightest children, likewise, are 
sometimes the hardest to bring up." There is no 
doubt that the brightest horses are the hardest to 
train, but like the bright children they give the best 
results if trouble is taken with their education. 

I myself humbly agree with Cesaresco, Whyte 
Melville, and others on the subject. Now, the best 
way to make use of the horse's brain is to teach him 
to understand the voice, and though Hayes and 



The Horse's Mind 209 

Galvayne advocate this to the extent of using a few 
simple words, such as " whoa," '' come up," and 
" back," many other writers, including Cesaresco, 
consider it to be impossible. This statement every 
soldier will question : he knows how quickly horses 
learn words of command and trumpet calls. In 
India some years ago, so the story goes, a charger 
was winning a race, but when nearing the winning- 
post " Halt " was sounded on the trumpet, and he 
shut up. The astute owner of the second favorite 
had commissioned a trumpeter to be in readiness, 
and the ruse succeeded perfectly. 

I will quote two examples of voice training re- 
sulting in marked brain development which have 
recently come under my personal observation, and 
which should go far towards removing doubts on 
the subject. There was a horse at Woolwich in 
1909 called Tommy, and belonging to Captain 
Aherne, R.H.A., which if turned loose would walk, 
trot, canter, jump, and change legs at a canter when 
told to do so, without the aid of whip or signal, be- 
sides coming to his master when called. This was 
taught by means of long reins ^ accompanied by 

1 The horse was bought as a five-year-old and had undergone no 
early training. 



210 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

word of command, the reins being dispensed with 
as soon as the animal had learnt to associate the 
word with the movement. Every order was given in 
the same level tone of voice, which goes to disprove 
Fillis's theory that a horse cannot understand the 
words of an order, but only the tone in which it is 
spoken. There was no picking and choosing about 
this horse's parents. 

Another instance was that of a mare called 
Trixie,^ who performed at the Palace Theater in 
London during the winters of 1906-7-8, and perhaps 
furnished an example of the highest point of mental 
development ever reached by a member of the equine 
race. She could spell, add, subtract, multiply, and 
divide, work a cash register, and pick out colored 
rags at the call of the audience from a variegated 
heap on the stage. Mr. Barnes, her owner and 
trainer, is interesting on the subject of her educa- 
tion, and is a firm believer in the intelligence of the 
horse. His mare, who Avas three parts Arab, was 
bred for brains, her dam, sire and grand-dam having 
been famous trick performers. From the time 

* Trixie was killed in a railway accident in America (February 
1909). 



The Horse's Mind 211 

Trixie was a filly of three weeks old she was allowed 
to run in and out of her master's house in America 
like a dog, and was the constant companion and 
playmate of his children; in fact, her early life ran 
along the same pleasant lines as that of her Arab 
ancestors. She was twelve years old in 1907, and 
had not completed her education until two years 
previously. 

Mr. Barnes first conceived the idea of teaching her 
to spell from his children. They had four alphabet 
letters printed on large blocks, and the filly learned 
to pick up whichever was called for. Inspired by the 
Kindergarten system, after ceaseless effort and un- 
wearying patience Mr. Barnes taught her to spell al- 
most any word by syllables, showing that she really 
associated the sound of the word with the letters 
that form it. This was proved by her occasional 
lapses into very phonetic or Rooseveltian spelling. 

She then learnt the result of every simple com- 
bination of multiplication, division, addition, and 
subtraction up to the numeral nine. Space does not 
admit of going fully into Mr. Barnes's method of 
instruction in arithmetic, but he gave me to under- 
stand that it was briefly as follows. He would call 



212 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

out to the mare, '* 3 minus i, Two'' with emphasis 
on the last word, and w'ould discontinue saying 
** two " when Trixie had learnt to pick up that 
numeral every time he said " 3 minus i." Eventu- 
ally she committed all the combinations to memory. 

Teaching the mare to distinguish colors Mr. 
Barnes found easier than the foregoing. As soon as 
the initial difficulty of fixing her attention and of 
making her " take notice " at all was overcome, he 
placed two colored rags on the ground, and taught 
the mare by voice, at first accompanied by sign, to 
pick out the one called for, rewarding or punish- 
ing her for success or failure. The number of colors 
was afterwards increased, and Trixie learnt to indi- 
cate the shade of a tie or of a lady's hat. 

Count Martinengo Cesaresco admits that a horse 
can be taught to distinguish between red and white, 
but his method of instruction is rather drastic. He 
dresses one man in red and another in white, makes 
the red man beat the horse and the white man caress 
him, and naively adds that the horse soon distin- 
guishes the difference in color. 

Mr. Barnes claimed for Trixie the brain of a 
child of six with all its limitations. She frequently 



The Horse's Mind 213 

required admonition to keep her to business, and had 
learnt to remember that a deep sigh from her master 
at her stupidity was the calm before the storm. He 
never fed the mare himself, and unless he drove her, 
which he did through London traffic without reins, 
she was exercised by his groom, of whom she had 
no opinion whatever, as he was not allowed to cor- 
rect her. 

A committee of experts met in 1907 with the 
object of establishing or disposing of the mare's 
claim to responsive intelligence, her detractors as- 
serting that her feats were performed by means of a 
trick. She had just recovered from a severe attack 
of pneumonia, and after tests lasting over an hour 
and a half she showed such fatigue that the com- 
mittee released her, and endeavored to come to a 
decision. Though a majority was in favor of credit- 
ing the mare with responsive intelligence, no under- 
standing could be arrived at, as the remaining mem- 
bers of the committee were strongly adverse to their 
decision, and the inquiry was adjourned for further 
examination. 

I beHeve in the genuineness of the mare's attain- 
ments ; if the show had been trick-work on the part 



214 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

of the owner, it would perhaps have been more won- 
derful, but would hardly have stood the test of so 
many performances. Somebody was invariably on 
the stage with the avowed intention of detecting Mr. 
Barnes's methods, and no one appears to have done 
so. 

No ordinary man would wish to teach his horse 
multiplication even if he felt able to do so, but for 
obvious reasons a horse is more useful and a safer 
conveyance if he is obedient to the voice- Trixie's 
wonderful brain development must in great measure 
be attributed to her early life and surroundings. 

There are many other examples of cleverness in 
horses, and General Tweedie, in his book " The 
Arab and his Horse," tells us that the traveler be- 
tween Bagdad and the Caspian used to strap his 
portmanteau across the back of a galloping post- 
horse, which immediately started off alone for the 
next station, and delivered the baggage safely. Ac- 
cording to Hayes, Rockefeller and Sample used to 
drive horses without reins, and had them under per- 
fect control. 

Thormanby and many other writers quote cases 
of which they had personal knowledge ; in fact, there 



The Horse's Mind 215 

is ample evidence not only to show that the horse's 
mind can be developed if time and trouble are taken 
in the process, but that the results fully justify the 
labor expended. Osmer would have us believe that 
the excellence of horses is altogether mechanical and 
not in the blood; others believe in blood only; but 
surely brains must and do count. 

There is another reason why the mind-training of 
horses should be taken up and encouraged, and that 
is for the good of future generations; the process 
must necessarily be slow, but if carried out system- 
atically *' stupid " horses should not be so common in 
the future. I must repeat that Trixie's was an ex- 
ceptional case : she was the product of three genera- 
tions of the higher education. 



XIX 

APPUANCES FOR HORSB-TRAININO 



XIX 

APPLIANCES FOR HORSE-TRAINING 



" That which is new is only that which has been forgotten." 

Translated from the Russian. 



/-p^HE British Board of Agriculture as at present 
-^ constituted only came into existence in the 
year 1889. It might with advantage have collected 
information on the subject of horse-training for dis- 
tribution amongst breeders and farmers, but no 
official reports have dealt with the subject as far as 
I am aware. This is unfortunate, as scientific 
knowledge in this branch would be of the greatest 
use to the agricultural population; it would lower 
the percentage of horses that either break down un- 
der training or become intractable from improper 
treatment, and it would increase the value of those 
that find purchasers. 

A study of equine literature reveals our happv- 

go-lucky ways in this important matter, in particular 

219 



220 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

as to appliances for aiding the horse-trainer in his 
work, several of which were well known in past 
times, and after falling into disuse were reintro- 
duced several times over as being quite new, and 
often of the author's own invention. 

To simplify description I will classify them under 
two heads, namely, appliances used on foot, and 
those used mounted and dismounted. The former 
include long reins, the cavesson and leading-rein, 
crosstrees, the crupper leading-rein, the Commanche 
bridle, side reins, the strait-jacket, the Galvayne 
strap, pillars single and double, the Rarey strap, 
throwing gear, the crush, the cage, the iron-pointed 
pole, the plain pole and the longeing whip. After 
reading some of the above names it will hardly sur- 
prise the reader to be told that early writers not in- 
frequently alluded to appliances as " engines," or 
" utensils ! " 

In the second category are the rope gag, the Aus- 
trian nose-band, the bearing-rein, the running rein, 
the martingale standing and running, the cane, two 
hand-whips (to be used simultaneously), the hand- 
spur, the mouthing, and various other bits forming 
part of the bridle, and the saddle. 



Appliances for Horse-training 221 

Long Reins. — *' Long-rein driving," or, in other 
words, driving a colt on a circle or in a straight line 
with a pair of reins or ropes, has been forgotten and 
brought in as a new art several times. An Austra- 
lian named Galvayne claims that he introduced the 
correct and scientific way of using the long reins 
into England in the 'eighties, and he certainly was 
an artist: I have seen him at work. Hayes, who 
was lecturing in this country on horse-training at 
about the same period, states that he learnt their use 
in Ireland from a Mr. John Hubert Moore, and that 
this gentleman derived his knowledge from an old 
Irish breaker named Fallon, who was born in the lat- 
ter part of the eighteenth century. Hayes also seems 
to infer that the practice was unknown in England 
until he himself introduced it. As a matter of fact 
an English gentleman named Mr. Browne used 
long reins in the sixteenth century, and in 1624 
wrote a book entitled " Browne, his Fifty Years' 
Practice, or an Exact Discourse Concerning Snaffle- 
riding, etc.," giving the way of carrying out long- 
rein driving. His methods must have been practi- 
cally those of the present day, as he is careful to ex- 
plain : " Now when you have him perfect on either 



222 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

hand and he doth set his trot comely and stately, you 
may venture to set a saddle on him." 

Lord Pembroke, Sir Sidney Medows, Freeman, 
and Adams, all practised long-rein driving in vari- 
ous ways, and wrote about it in the latter part of 
the eighteenth and early in the nineteenth centuries, 
yet Galvayne and Hayes were both able to tour the 
country and make a financial success of exhibiting the 
practice as new in the latter half of the nineteenth. 

About twenty years after Hayes's demonstrations 
of long-rein driving on his horse-breaking tours, his 
methods were embodied in the English Cavalry 
Training Manual. The appliance is now in general 
use at Netheravon ; at the Woolwich Riding Estab- 
lishment it is employed for horses which cannot be 
backed or are refractory, and sometimes for teach- 
ing jumping, but every riding instructor is taught 
how to handle the reins. I understand that the 
Messrs. Miller have very generally discarded them. 

According to Berenger this appliance was well- 
known on the Continent at a much earlier period 
than the eighteenth century, but it is not used abroad 
now, nor has it been for some considerable time. 

As foreigners look upon horse-training as more 



Appliances for Horse-training 223 

of a science than we generally do in this country, 
their abandonment of long-rein driving must carry 
weight in assessing the value of the appliance. 

The advantages that it offers for training are that 
the horse is under perfect control from the first ; he 
can be exercised and disciplined when in poor con- 
dition, he can be taught to go true on either foreleg 
at a canter, and to jump. Long reins afford a good 
means of gentling horses that have had no previous 
handling, and of dealing with refractory animals. 
The disadvantages which apparently led to the prac- 
tice being abandoned for some time are that the 
trainer acts on a foreign fulcrum, which gives him 
immense power and is likely to result in hard 
mouths. The reins are heavy,^ so that mechanical 
means must generally be resorted to in order to keep 
the animal's head in the correct position. Passing 
the reins through supports, or even through the stir- 
rups, certainly lightens the weight on the horse's 
mouth, but this is not sufficient to prevent the head in 
many cases from being carried too low, with the nose 
too much tucked in. It is obviously better not to 

^ Leather long reins weigh 4 lbs., webbing ones 2%, and rope is un- 
stiitable for the purpose as it is liable to gall a horse, especially if he 
breaks away. 



224 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

constrain the movements of the colt's head and neck 
any more than is absolutely necessary in the initial 
stages, even if his conformation is hopelessly bad, 
and it is also obvious that if he is allowed to hang his 
head in the commencement of his training, the rider 
will have more trouble afterwards in getting him 
correctly placed and balanced. Bearing-reins were 
found necessary in the past, and Hayes advocates 
the use of the overhead bearing-rein attached to the 
nose-band. This does not, however, lighten the 
weight on the mouth. Put a harness horse into the 
lead of a coach for the first time, and you will find 
that the weight of the reins, although supported, 
makes him chary of facing the bit. 

To handle long reins successfully is by no means 
easy, and requires a man of much practice and ex- 
perience. When I first saw them systematically used 
in horse-breaking, I was much taken with the idea, 
and have before now written in their praise; 
riper experience has led me to agree w^ith Lord Pem- 
broke, who says with reference to working on foot : 
" A good rider, who feels every motion of his horse, 
must act with more precision, delicacy, and exact- 
ness." If a horse has been properly dealt with be- 



Appliances for Horse-training 225 

fore the time of training arrives, the sooner he is 
backed the quicker he will be trained ; the mouth is 
better made and the horse more quickly balanced 
without resorting to long reins; and this is the 
general practice on the Continent. 

When they are used, the horse should be made 
to circle round the trainer, the outer rein being held 
sufficiently tight to keep the animal's quarters from 
flying out. Both reins should be supported on 
the horse's back about trace-high, and the first time 
they are put on a young one they should be attached 
to a light cavesson. 

Hayes suggests using long reins for teaching rid- 
ing, in order to relieve the tyro of the control of his 
horse. It is an old idea which was practised in the 
sixteenth century, and carries no advantages over 
the longeing rein in common use abroad. 

The Single Rein and Cavesson. — The single 
rein needs very little description. It is simply a long 
rein made either of leather, webbing, or cord, with a 
billet at one end. The cavesson is a head-collar with 
an iron or steel nose-band covered with leather or 
cloth, or a plain leather one, on the front of which 
there may be either one or three rings, to which the 



226 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

long rein can be attached. The metal nose-band was 
introduced to facihtate control of the horse by jerk- 
ing the rein and hurting the bridge of his nose. Al- 
though it can doubtless be used by an experienced 
man without giving unnecessary pain, it is a very 
severe instrument. At Saumur I saw some sixty 
horses led into the school wearing cavessons. The 
reins were certainly only held by grooms, but nearly 
every horse flinched occasionally from touches with 
the iron nose-band, whilst they were simply being 
walked and trotted round. This brought out the 
severity of the appliance, as the nose-bands were 
covered with felt and fitted closely round the nose 
to make them as mild as possible. 

The French use the single rein and cavesson with 
an iron nose-band for exercising on the longe and 
teaching jumping; they claim that its use is more 
than justified by the fact that the horse is under com- 
plete control without tampering with and perhaps 
spoiling his mouth. The Austrians have discarded 
it, and, when longeing is necessary, buckle the rein 
to a ring in the center of a short connecting-strap 
fastened to the rings of the snafifle. In conjunction 
with this, side reins attached to the D's on the saddle 



AppliaiiceS for Morse-training ^if 

are invariably used, and a noseband fastened below 
the bit if required. When the longe is employed 
for teaching the beginner to ride, the nose-band is 
discarded. 

Some writers recommend longeing the horse with 
the rein attached to one side of the bridle only. 
There can be no question that the practice is wrong ; 
it at once teaches the animal to lean against one side 
of the bit and spoils his mouth. Xenophon laid 
down that the young horse should never be led with 
the hand on one side of the bridle only for the same 
reason, and it naturally follows that one-sided longe- 
ing is even worse. 

The cavesson is certainly of great use for very 
young horses, as they are weak, and therefore easy 
of control. A thick leather nose-band will then 
answer the purpose ; it offers the best means of lead- 
ing a young horse about, which is the simplest act 
of obedience we can ask of him. It can be used for 
schooling a horse over fences, either just as it is or 
with the addition of long reins. 

Enthusiasts for two reins say that a horse will 
never go correctly on a circle on one only, because 
the head is pulled in and the quarters driven out- 



228 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

wards by the whip; this state of affairs is, however, 
only arrived at if the horse circles unwillingly and 
the whip is used from the center of the circle. The 
young horse should never be circled at a trot until 
he moves pleasantly at a walk, nor should the canter 
be attempted before he goes well on both hands at a 
trot ; he will learn the game quickly enough. 

Crosstrees are another very old invention, and 
are designed for the purpose of securing bearing- 
reins and side reins at various heights in dismounted 
work. Old-fashioned country trainers, amongst 
others, are in the habit of leading colts about with 
bearing-reins attached to this appliance ; but as there 
is no give and take in the reins the animal eventually 
learns to lean on the bit, and his mouth is liable to 
be spolied before he is backed. Rubber reins have 
been tried to minimize this evil, but authorities are 
not in agreement as to their efficacy. Cesaresco and 
Hayes are amongst those who contend that rubber 
reins have a diametrically opposite action to that of 
good hands. Let us leave it at this : that a bearing- 
rein, however made or fixed, can in no way imitate 
the salutary " feeling '' of a good pair of hands ; 
and let us again repeat, with reference to bearing- 



Appliances for Horse-training 229 

reins and side reins, that the less the head is forcibly 
controlled at this early stage the better. Crosstrees 
are only used abroad for Haute Ecole training. 

In the event of the horse refusing to lead, two ap- 
pliances are suggested — the Crupper Leading- 
Rein and the Commanche Bridle. 

The crupper leading-rein can be improvised by 
making a small loop in the center of a long piece 
of rope, which is applied as a crupper, and passing 
the two ends through the stirrup-leathers and on 
through the headstall just above the nose-band. It 
will sometimes be found useful in leading a horse 
over small water jumps when other means of getting 
him over have failed, for moving an obstinate jibber, 
or for boxing a refractory horse. 

A description of the Commanche bridle will be 
found in Hayes's " Illustrated Horse Breaking " ; its 
action gives pain, so that the advantage it offers is 
problematical. 

Several writers, both English and foreign, have 
invented " Strait-jackets " for horses. The prin- 
ciple is the same in each case: the horse's legs are 
encircled with a rope at about elbow height, in order 
to facilitate handling. The appliance was in use in 



^30 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

the sixteenth century, but was introduced as new by 
M. Raabe (amongst others) compartively recently. 
It should never be needed in a country like England, 
where horses are bred in domesticity. 

The next appliance we come to is the Galvayne 
Strap, to connect the head-collar to the horse's tail. 
A piece of rope will generally answer the purpose. 
When a horse is tied in this manner he can only 
move in a circle and soon tires, which makes sub- 
jugation simple. Jennings, writing in 1866, men- 
tions this as a common practice ; both Galvayne and 
Sample are credited with introducing it into Eng- 
land, but the idea was not original. Tying the tail- 
hairs to the bridle was written about in the sixteenth 
century, and doubtless practised long before that 
date. It teaches the horse nothing, and its effect is 
only temporary; as previously mentioned, the long 
reins are useful for gentling when necessary, and if 
a horse cannot be disciplined without them he had 
better be sold. 

Modern authors do not advocate the use of 
" Pillars," another appliance consisting of two 
posts a short distance apart, between which the 
horse is placed and attached by the reins. They 




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o 
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X 

eiJ 

A4 




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X 
X 



Appliances for Horse-training 23X 

have been a great deal used in the past, not only for 
Haute Ecole work, but for getting the horse's 
hocks under him by driving him up to the bit with a 
whip. They are used in France now to train " Sau- 
teurs," and in France and Austria to train Haute 
Ecole horses in exercises such as the " cour- 
bette" (Plate XXI) and the " croupade " (Plate 
XXH). The originator of the idea seems to have 
been Eumenes, who when besieged at the fort 
of Nora by Antigonus, bridled his horses in the sta- 
ble and attached the reins to pulleys in the roof, and 
requisitioned people to lash them with whips from 
behind. He thus gave them exercise, and tauglit 
them to what Berenger calls *' yerk " out behind, 
the consequence being that when the siege was raised 
his horses were in condition and fit for service in the 
field. 

A Neapolitan named Pignatelli is credited with 
the invention of pillars. He was the most famous 
horseman of his time, and published a work called 
" Ludus Equestris " in 1520. Two pupils of Pigna- 
telli's named Broue and Pluvinel first introduced 
the pillars into France, and until the time of Bour- 
gelat (1750) they appear to have been in general 



232 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

use abroad. Bourgelat, whose prestige and in- 
fluence carried great weight in the horse world, 
would have none of them, asserting that the rider's 
legs were the best pillars. 

The Single Pillar, much favored by the first 
Duke of Newcastle, was employed for the same 
purposes as the double pillars, but according to his- 
tory it was never popular, as it only served to 
fatigue and harass the horse. In Australia they tie 
the freshly-caught horse to a tree with tackle he 
cannot break, as his first lesson in submission, and 
the single pillar was used for a like end. In Amer- 
ica it is well named the " snubbing post." 

The Rarey Strap. — Rarey, a farmer from 
Ohio, came to England in 1856 to give practical 
demonstrations of his new method of taming and 
training horses. Subscribers anxious to know his 
secret and to be shown his appliances presented him 
with over £15,000. He had come to tell them how 
to strap a horse's leg up and throw him. The secre- 
tary of the first subscription list na'fvely remarked 
that Rarey had reinvented what was known some 
fifty years before, and he might have added, some 
hundreds of years ago. Amongst others, Mr. Browne 



Appliances for Horse-training 233 

(1624) gives a drawing of a horse with his leg tied 
up for the purpose of subjugation, and Hayes tells 
us that Rarey's methods are clearly shown in the 
collection of Graeco-Scythic art in St. Petersburg. 
Shortly before Rarey's arrival in England one 
Frank Holding appears to have practised something 
of the same sort. No special straps are necessary 
for tying up a horse's foreleg; it can be done with 
a stirrup-leather. The result of doing so is that in 
time the horse gets tired out from standing on three 
legs, and horse trainers should bear this in mind, 
not for general use, but to deal with exceptional 
cases. Captain Morley Knight (author of " Hints 
on Driving") gives it as a cure for jibbing in 
harness. 

There are several different kinds of Throwing 
Gear^ but most horses can be taught to lie down in 
the following manner : — 

Strap up the near fore with a stirrup leather, 
taking care that the buckle is on the inside, and that 
the foot, when held up, is outside the horse's fore- 
arm. Take a long leather strap with a loop at the 
end, and tie it round the off fore-pastern. Stand 
on the near side of the horse, holding the end of the 



234 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

strap in the hand, and tap the horse gently on the 
off fore just below the knee. Then pull at the strap, 
saying " Down ! " at the same time : the horse will 
soon learn to go down on his knees and lie down as 
he does in the stable. 

To throw a horse without any special appliance, 
act as follows : — 

Strap up the near fore as before. Standing on 
the near side, take up both reins in the left hand, 
the right rein shorter so as to bend the horse's head 
to the right ; place the left hand on the withers and 
catch hold of the back part of the saddle with the 
right; then with both hands put a little weight on 
to the horse and pull slightly backwards: he will 
go down, but not always without a struggle, and as 
often as not his hind-quarters w^ill touch ground 
first. This method, which is given in the Cavalry 
Manual 1907, is best kept for a punishment. 

Between the stockyards in Australia there is 
often a narrow, high-railed passage; when the horse 
enters it the doors are let down in front of and 
behind him, and he can be head-collared and 
handled at will. This contrivance is called a Crush, 



Appliances for Horse-training 235 

and is extremely useful in dealing with untamed 
animals. 

Sample patented a revolving box or Cage, to 
subdue wild horses in ; it was not a success. 

The Iron-pointed Pole and the Hand-spur 
were employed in the sixteenth and seventeenth 
centuries to teach horses the " courbette " and 
" croupade," and a plain ash-pole has frequently 
been in use with which to stroke down a horse that 
was too wild to approach. Galvayne calls it a 
" third hand." 

The Longeing Whip, which should be made light 
enough for one-handed work, should generally be 
carried when long-rein driving, but the less it is 
used the better. Riding masters in the old days, 
w^hen instructing a ride of recruits, were fond of 
using the " chambriere," as it is called in the school, 
and did a great deal of harm with it. It frightened 
the pupil when his horse was hit, and it alarmed 
the horses in the ride so much that many would not 
leave the side of the school for fear of it. 

The Rope Gag or Twitch is an old invention, 
and can either be made of a halter or with a piece 
of rope. The gag can be applied under the upper 



236 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

lip or in the mouth. It has the great advantage over 
the ordinary twitch that pain need only be inflicted 
on the animal at the necessary moment; with the 
ordinary twitch it is of course constant. The ap- 
pliance may sometimes be useful for disciplinary 
purposes when other measures have failed. 

The Austrian Nose-band, or Wischzaum, 
which is attached below the bit, and is supposed to 
have been brought out by von Oeynhausen, author 
of several works on equine matters, is in constant 
use in Austrian and German training schools. It is 
undoubtedly the best form of nose-band for training 
purposes when the employment of any is indicated. 
Any sort of fixed nose-band, if tight, carries with it 
the following disadvantage, which is clearly brought 
out by Cesaresco, namely, that it impedes the move- 
ment of the lower jaw and thus partially stops the 
flow^ of saliva. Salivation is like oil to machinery, 
and prevents the mouth from becoming irritated. 
The nose-band certainly increases the power of the 
hands. 

The Bearing-rein, either over-head or ordinary, 
can be attached to the saddle for mounted work : its 
disadvantages have already been dealt with. 



Appliances for Horse-training 237 

The Running-rein was another apphance much 
favored in the latter part of the eighteenth and the 
commencement of the nineteenth centuries, Tyndale 
(1797) assuring us that it was an excellent contri- 
vance for raising and placing a horse's head when 
he carried it too low, whereas Skeene (1807) ad- 
vised it for the exact opposite. We learn from me- 
chanics that, putting friction aside, the running-rein 
doubles the power of the rider's hands, and however 
useful on occasion this may be on a made horse, the 
principle is fundamentally wrong for the making of 
his mouth. It should be the trainer's aim gradually 
to make the colt respond to the slightest touch of the 
reins, and not to haul at an improvised system of 

pulley. 

Martingales are of two sorts, running and 
standing; opinions are more divided on the value of 
this appliance than on that of any other. Some 
fine cross-country riders will seldom be without a 
standing martingale on practically every horse, and 
amongst these may be mentioned Colonel Rivers 
Bulkeley, the late Empress of Austria's hunting 
pilot. We may take it as an axiom that some 
horses are so constructed about the head and neck 



238 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

that in spite of any amount of training, absolute 
control and perfect guidance can only be assured 
by the use of the martingale, and that the running 
one, when properly fitted, interferes in no way with 
the horse's ordinary movements and is therefore 
harmless. When, however, it comes to tying the 
animal's head down so that he cannot freely use it 
for balance, and then asking him to move on any- 
thing but level ground, we are, theoretically at any 
rate, working him under disadvantageous con- 
ditions. 

The advantages of the Cane over the whip have 
been dealt with in the section on the whip; and the 
Hand-spur has been mentioned earlier in this one. 

Two Hand-whips have been used by one man in 
working horses on foot and mounted, and the idea 
has been reintroduced by several authors. The first 
Duke of Newcastle used them in conjunction with 
the single pillar for teaching Haute Ecole riding, 
and in the sixteenth century they were held one in 
each hand for mounted training work. Hayes re- 
introduced them for this purpose. I can see no ob- 
ject in using them for either purpose. 

I wish as much as possible to avoid going over 



Appliances for Horse-training 239 

old ground, and do not therefore intend to enter 
fully into the big subject of Bits, which Dwyer 
has treated scientifically in his work " Seats and 
Saddles," should the reader care to turn to it. 
Faulty methods of training must to a great extent 
be held responsible for the many bits now on sale, 
but compared with those of one hundred years ago 
they are, generally speaking, mild. Doubtless we 
must thank hunting for this. Excepting for flat- 
racing, and for hunting in most parts of Ireland, 
we may take it that the ordinary double bridle is 
serviceable enough, and, as Head has it, the 
smoother the bit the more willingly will the animal 
submit to it. A thick leather strap may often with 
advantage be substituted for the curb-chain. A 
good rider on a well-balanced horse will probably 
require no special bit, unless the animal has ac- 
quired the habit of getting his tongue over it, but 
the common gag is a most useful bit for re-training 
a ** spoilt " horse who carries his head too low. 
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was ad- 
vocated for the purpose of raising all young horses' 
heads, apparently whether they needed it or not. 
In 1832 Don Juan Segundo issued a pamphlet on 



240 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

bits, and in it asserted that a great many horses 
were set aside in our Cavalry as having lost all 
feeling in their mouths. That they were unfit for 
use he put down entirely to the imperfection of the 
regulation bit. Colonel Taylor, who then com- 
manded the Cavalry Riding Establishment at Can- 
terbury, agreed with Segundo, and recommended 
the following issue of 105 bits per squadron of 
100 horses: — 

5 for very hard mouths ; 
45 for hard mouths; 
25 for good mouths; 

8 for very tender mouths; 
12 for star-gazers; 
10 for borers. 

No more severe indictment could have been 
framed on the horsemanship and training of the 
day, but we must not forget that the straight-legged 
seat was then the rule, and that more often than 
not the horse had to balance the rider at the expense 
of his own balance. I must again repeat that 
the conditions were altogether different from those 
obtaining on the Plains of America, where riding 



Appliances for Horse-training 241 

in this fashion was usually a habit acquired in early 
youth. 

And here let me beg the reader not to bind him- 
self to the iron rule that a horse should do every- 
thing perfectly on a snaffle before ever a double 
bridle is put into his mouth. When once he under- 
stands the meaning of the bridle the rider must 
use his discretion; the ill-balanced horse will often 
" make " more quickly in a double bit and finish 
with a better mouth if it is used judiciously. 

It has not been altogether pleasant to write about 
appliances, as it has been necessary to speak lightly 
of many which have been used successfully by 
masters of the equine world. These men often had 
to deal with wild and almost untamable animals, 
such as we fortunately meet with but rarely now, at 
any rate in England. 

If the horse has been properly handled at first, 
and comes into a trainer's hands who is a good 
horseman and knows his work, all the appliances he 
is likely to use are a saddle, a snaffle, a double 
bridle, a cane stick, and possibly spurs. 



XX 

EARLV DAYS 



XX 

EARLY DAYS 

" Horses are taught not by harshness but by gentleness." 

Xenophon. 

"The grand thing is to get rid of dogged sulks and coltishness — of 
that wayward, swerving, hesitating gait, which says, 'Here's my foot, 
and there's my foot,' or ' There is a lion in the street and I cannot go 
forth ! ' " Greenwood. 



F 



REQUENT handling from foalhood onwards 
is of the first importance. A horse is not 
conscious of his own powers until he gets the better 
of his trainer, and the best way to keep him ignorant 
of them is to teach him to obey when he is young and 
weak. The Arab has always led the way in this 
early education. His horse is brought up with his 
children and is spoken to as if he were a human 
being. Countries such as Norway, where the se- 
verity of the climate obliges the farmer to house 
his ponies during the winter, follow the Arab's lead 
to a certain extent, and much less difficulty is ex- 
perienced when serious training commences ; but up 

245 



246 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

to the beginning of the nineteenth century the 
remainder of Europe paid very little attention to 
the early handling of horses, and most people in 
England are still much behindhand in the matter. 
Doubtless the openness of the country, which ad- 
mitted of the colt running practically wild, in- 
creased the difficulties in days gone by. 

The evils resulting from the neglect of early 
handling in the past induced trainers to try to over- 
come them by cruelty to the horse. Starving, the 
twitch, bleeding, tying the tail down, putting shot 
into the ears, drugging, and sewing the ears 
together were amongst the tortures resorted to to 
obtain mastery. The Duke of Newcastle, though 
he did not advocate such practices, wrote that " the 
horse is such a cunning creature in his opposition 
to man that he should be ruled by fear." 

Nolan, quoting from a work published in 1664, 
gives an example of how equine intelligence and 
friendship to man were treated three hundred years 
ago. A Neapolitan called Pietro, who possessed a 
pony that would lie down, kneel and perform other 
tricks at his bidding, was burnt with his pony after 
giving a performance at Aries, the people being 



Early Days 247 

convinced that both man and animal were in league 
with the evil one. Early association should spell 
early friendship ; and a young horse must be treated 
with the same care and gentleness as a child, always 
remembering that both must be subject to correc- 
tion, and this policy towards him will allow of his 
mind being developed to the best advantage. 

Time is a great consideration to the small Eng- 
lish horsebreeder; but he does not labor under the 
same disadvantages as did his ancestors. Odd mo- 
ments spent in the pleasant occupation of gentling 
the colt will save much anxiety and some loss from 
lameness and accidents, which often result from 
keeping " wild " colts on the farm. The Irishman 
is a long way ahead of the Englishman in this 
respect. It is at this stage that the single long rein 
and leather cavesson are invaluable. The young 
horse should be led about, and should be allowed, 
in Rarey's words, to " see, smell, and touch with 
the nose " anything that is strange to him. If this 
is carefully carried out he should never become 
that abomination to either the rider or the driver, a 
shyer. If the colt is really afraid of anything that 
he meets, and which is moving towards him, turn 



2|8 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

his head away from it and look away from it your- 
self. The last point is most important; when the 
colt discovers that the object of his distrust does 
not hurt him and that his trainer takes no notice 
of it, he will soon learn to let it pass him, either 
when he is on the move or is standing still and 
facing it. Shyers are manufactured by being seized 
by the liead and made to face objects which are 
strange to them. 

With infinite patience the colt should be taught 
to stand still, to move forward, and to come to the 
trainer when called. He should learn to lift his 
legs in turn, so that the first visit to the blacksmith's 
shop will not come as a surprise. Hand feeding 
with sugar and other delicacies promotes early 
friendship, and what Cesaresco calls '' caresses on 
the eyes and occiput " produce a soothing and mag- 
netic effect. 

' Dodge gives us a delightful picture of the perfect 
methods of kindness obtaining at Governor Leland 
Stanford's farm at Palo Alto. Anybody ill-treating 
the horses was instantly dismissed; but the colts 
were early given a respect for authority, and were 




03 

•—5 



X 
X 

0) 
03 



Early Days 249 

not allowed to " fool " when they were being 
handled. 

In his third year the youngster should be made to 
carry about a sack with a certain weight in it, and 
should be taught to take the bit, and, if intended 
for a hunter, to negotiate small jumps at liberty. A 
colt thus handled should give the trainer no trouble 
when he has to mount him, and he will not, as Mr. 
Browne wrote, '' have to venture in God's name to 
put over his leg," as if he were undertaking some- 
thing altogether too perilous. 

Good large runs on undulating pasture and in- 
cluding a certain amount of rough ground are every- 
thing to the youngster, and teach him to use his 
hocks and shoulders. Animals reared in small flat 
paddocks, as are so many of our thoroughbreds, 
start their education at a disadvantage from the 
point of view of general utility. 

At Elvaston Castle, jumping-lanes (Plate 
XXIII), with obstacles suited to the ages of the 
young ones, connect Lord Harrington's paddocks 
with the night sheds. When the colts are released 
in the morning they reach the paddocks by way of 
the jumping-lanes, and it is a pretty sight to see each 



250 ModernRiding and Horse Education 

lot, according to age, bunch themselves together and 
go over their course. These yonng horses require 
very little schooling over fences when serious v^ork 
commences. 



XXI 

PUHTHER TRAINING 



XXI 

FURTHER TRAINING 

■'\ so is my horse ; 

It is a creature that I train to fight, 
To wind, to stop, to run directly on, 
His corporal motion governed by my spirit." 

— Shakespeare, /m/xW Casar. 

]\ yTANY writers give us the time in years or 
months which the training of a horse occu- 
pies, some even stating the exact number of days 
required, varying from seventy-five to one. De 
Mauleon, in his " Methode de Dressage," says that 
he has been able to break four horses in one day, 
to obey all the aids and go in harness. I feel per- 
sonally unable to make any pronouncement on the 
subject, or even to recommend any particular course 
of lessons for a young horse; the length of time 
must vary according as the animal is well built, 
and therefore perfectly balanced, or the reverse. 
It must, however, be harmful to hurry any young 

horse's education. Other points to be weighed in 

253 



254 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

assessing the necessary time are the character of 
the trainer, the disposition of the horse, his age, and 
his fitness for the work in hand. 

The personal element is the leading factor in 
horse training. One of the best trainers I ever saw, 
though he rode " well enough," was by no means a 
fine horseman. Yet he had " a way with him," 
and always seemed to follow the least line of resist- 
ance by instinct; he was friends with a difficult 
horse in a very short time and a " kind " one under- 
stood him at once. 

There are many systems advocated for horse 
training, yet none of these holds the field, which I 
believe to be simply for the above reason, namely, 
that the personal factor is supreme, and that as long 
as the man has an intimate knowledge of horses 
and what they should do and and be when he has 
finished with them, he will train them as perfectly 
as circumstances permit on any system, modifying 
his procedure to suit individual cases. 

English and American horses certainly have char- 
acters, and the better they are bred the more marked 
will these be. General Brocklehurst, master of the 
Cottesmore hounds, writes to me that the best com- 



Further Training^ 255 

piiment he ever heard paid to Enghsh and Irish hor- 
ses came from Mr. Blackman, the dealer in Knights- 
bridge (London), who remarked that he bought 
Continental carriage horses by preference, because 
when he got two animals alike in color, shape, and 
action he had a pair, whereas two perfectly matched 
English or Irish horses would probably turn out to 
be utterly unlike in character and it would be use- 
less to put them together. 

There are, however, certain general principles 
now followed by all scientific modern trainers, 
namely : 

That free forward movement should be the first 
aim of the trainer; this is the easiest exercise for 
the horse and the least trying to his temper. He 
thus learns to accustom himself to the new condi- 
tions (i. e., carrying a weight above and behind his 
center of gravity) in the easiest possible manner, 
and acquires freedom of action at the same time, 
before any interference with his movements can 
have put him in any doubt as to what his rider re- 
quires of him. Good fast walkers are not as com- 
mon as they should be, and one of the reasons for 
this may well be that in their anxiety for results 



^5^ Modern Riding and Horse Education 

trainers generally try collected work too soon when 
the horse is mounted. 

Another principle is that the animal must be 
tausfht to move his neck forward as well as back- 
ward at the will of his rider, or he will not answer 
to the term " balanced." He must learn to break 
into a canter or gallop from a walk, to jump freely, 
to collect himself suddenly, and to turn on his 
hocks. This may be termed the second part of his 
training, in which the correct and frequent use of 
the leg in combination with the lightest of hands is 
everything. Theoretical knowledge, though essen- 
tial if the trainer is to achieve success in this second 
part, is useless without practical experience. A 
corollary to this second principle is that the horse 
must learn to answer at once to the bridle without 
either fighting it or running back from it. A third 
principle is that the animal must never be overtired ; 
a ** stale " horse can learn nothing. 

Some experts advise beginning the work on foot, 
teaching the horse to answer first to a snaffle and 
then to a double bit by holding the reins above the 
withers. When necessary they employ a second 
man to stand behind the horse with a long whip in 



Further Training 257 

order to prevent him from " running back from the 
bridle.'* The meaning of the leg is taught at the 
same time by taps with a cane on the animal's side. 
As long as this method is confined to teaching him 
the meaning of the bridle it answers well. 

Baucher, the great master of Haute Ecole, in- 
troduced a system of training on foot the basis of 
which was to supple the horse's head and neck in 
such a manner that when first mounted he would 
move collectedly. Fillis, a disciple of Baucher's, 
improved upon the latter's methods by insisting on 
a higher, though still a practically perpendicular 
carriage of the head. The two main features of the 
system advocated by these high-school riders may 
be classed under the heads of direct flexion, i. e., 
bending the horse's head in towards his chest, and 
lateral flexion, i. e., bending the upper part of the 
neck from one side to the other. I have endeavored 
to show in the section on " What to Teach " how 
the general utility of the animal will suffer if we 
train him to adopt an unnatural profile — that is to 
say, to move with his neck arched and his nose 
tucked in to an exaggerated extent, and would here 
warn the reader who wishes to use direct flexion that 



258 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

he should do very httle of it, and that only in the 
second stage of the horse's education. 

Baucher worked at direct flexion with the horse 
stationary at first and then reining back; Fillis in- 
sisted that the horse should move forward during 
the whole of every lesson. His methods, which are 
more complicated than Baucher's, require some ex- 
planation. Both reins of the snaffle are held in the 
right hand under the horse's chin, and a whip is 
held in the left hand. The horse's head is pushed 
upwards and forwards as he moves on, the whip 
being used when necessary. The exercise must at 
first be carried out at the side of a school or wall, 
or the animal will not be under control. When the 
horse walks freely in this manner, the snaffle reins 
are held in front and close to the nose in the left 
hand, and the curb reins behind the chin on the right. 
The horse is then pulled forward by the left hand 
and his nose kept in by the right, an assistant using 
the whip when necessary in rear. This exercise, 
which Baucher carried out with the horse station- 
ary, is intended to supple the lower jaw as well as 
the neck. 

The object of lateral flexion is to train the horse 



Further Training 259 

when ridden to maintain a high carriage of the 
head in turning and circling, and to incHne it in the 
direction in which he is moving. It is taught by 
raising the horse's head and pulHng it round from 
side to side. Enthusiasts claim that no horse will 
turn properly unless he has been through a course 
of this exercise, but we may take it that this bigoted 
view will not stand examination ; most of us having 
ridden extremely handy animals whose trainers 
had never so much as heard the word flexion. 

The great objection to specifying any length of 
time for working on foot is that we are not giving 
the horse any lesson in his most important duty, 
which is to balance himself with a weight on his 
, back, although having learnt to move bridled with 
his head high will eventually make this easier for 
him; nor are we taking any steps to develop the 
muscles that are needed for carrying weight. The 
whip, even in the hands of an expert, cannot have 
the same educational value as the application of the 
leg. 

If the trainer works mounted, he can raise the 
horse's head by raising his hands and pressing with 
his legs, and if it is required he can bring the nose 



200 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

in by holding the snaffle-rein high and the curb low. 

It is as well to work the colt by himself;^ he 
will pay more attention to the trainer, and it is not 
easy to get good work out of a '' difficult " horse 
unless he is alone. This results not only from the 
imitativeness of all young things and their interest 
in what is being done by others, but also from the 
gregariousness which is one of the strongest natural 
characteristics of the equine race, and which prompts 
its members to seek their fellows' company and to 
shun independent action. For this reason, when it 
is necessary to work young horses together they 
should never be allowed to follow each other closely. 

When the horse is first mounted, which should be 
done with the greatest care, he should be led 
along by a man on foot; if he shows any disin- 
clination to move forward he should be turned 
either to the right or to the left : everything should 
be done to keep on friendly terms with him. As de 



* The Italians and the Boers couple the young horse to an old one 
by means of a rope or a strong leather strap. This is attached to 
both headstalls, the horses' heads being about a yard apart. This 
procedure is only admissible when the young horse comes " wild " 
into the trainer's hands, which is often the case both in Italy and 
South Africa. 



Further Training 261 

Mauleon remarks, if he will not do a thing in one 
way, another should be tried. The horse should be 
led by a head-collar, and not by the bridle, and as 
soon as he goes quietly he should be let go, the man 
continuing to walk by him for a time. He should 
now be given full liberty of rein, and encouraged 
to " walk out " before it is attempted to make him 
go light in front, which cannot be done without the 
help of the bridle. 

When trotting lessons are begun one important 
point should be borne in mind if equal work is to 
be done by the horse's hind legs. The Germans lay 
great stress on this distribution of work for long- 
distance riding; and amongst Frenchmen, Captain 
Caubert, in his deep and scientific work " Du Cheval 
bien nui et bien mis," goes very fully into it. I will 
endeavor to explain it as simph^ as possible. 

When a horse trots, his near fore and off hind 
strike the ground at the same time and vice versa. 
In rising to the trot, the rider's weight is always 
lifted out of the saddle by the straightening of one 
particular hock. This in time becomes stiff and 
tired, unless the rider occasionally allows himself to 
bump twice instead of once in the saddle and shifts 



262 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

the work on to the horse's other hind leg, which will 
greatly relieve the animal and enable him to travel 
further without distress. 

Opinions differ as to when a horse should be 
taught to rein back. The exercise forms part of 
every trainer's curriculum, but Fillis, and de Lisle 
(who follows his methods), would leave it until the 
rest of the training is completed, whilst other ex- 
perts would commence with it. Fillis says that 
backing a horse has the effect of putting his hind 
legs further away from him, but this is not the fact 
if the animal is made to rein back with his head up. 
De Lisle savs that reininof back mav make a horse 
chary of facing the bit, but many masters of the 
" great saddle," who rode in terribly severe bits, 
and demanded great flexion at the poll, do not seem 
to have been troubled in this respect. Doubtless 
the horse can be " made " whichever course the 
reader may wish to pursue; the following advan- 
tages, however, are derived from early instruction 
in this exercise. It is the best lesson for teaching 
a horse to get back on his hocks, and to turn on 
them, which cannot be done without weighting the 
pivot; the retrograde movements of the hind legs 



Further Training 263 

strengthen important muscles of the back and loins, 
and as a preparation for the canter and for jumping 
it will often be found extremely useful. My ex- 
perience goes to prove that if a horse is kind and 
willing it is unwise to forego these benefits, which 
are so valuable to the trainer. 

It is as well to give the first few lessons in reining 
back on foot, the horse's head being at first held low 
in order to lighten his quarters; if he shows any 
marked disinclination to move, the trainer should 
tread on each of his fore fetlocks in turn (Fillis). 
It is not an uncommon thing to see a trainer in 
difficulties with a young horse the first time he tries 
to rein him back mounted, w^hich is easily explained. 
Not only has the horse to lift his hind legs while 
bearing an unaccustomed weight, but this weight is 
increased by the animal's head being held high. 

When the horse has learnt to carry himself 
lightly at a walk and a trot he must be taught to 
passage and turn on his hocks. It is advisable to 
begin these exercises dismounted and to use a cane 
as a substitute for the leg. This is diametrically 
opposed to the teaching of Hayes, who would have 
turning on the hind legs taught last, but I maintain 



264 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

that it is correct. Turning in this manner is not 
only the most useful one for the rider, as the horse 
pivots on the point of the turn, hut when once 
learnt it is the safest and easiest for the horse, and 
is a good lesson in balance. Hayes seems to have 
been opposed to it because he thought it likely to 
irritate the horse in the early days of his training, 
but by exercising great patience and gentleness the 
trainer must prevent this. The polo pony is, of 
course, useless unless he can turn on his quarters 
at a gallop, and every other riding horse is safer 
when he can do the same. 

The animal must learn to pivot on every leg, but 
it comes natural to him to turn on his forehand 
unless he is in a confined space; he therefore re- 
quires more teaching to swing on his hocks. The 
trainer should make use of the inclination of the 
body to ** fix " the pivot. 

Unless they are moving on a circle all horses when 
cantering have a leading or favorite leg like human 
beings : they should be taught to go on either, and to 
change the leading leg readily either at the will of 
the rider or when circumstances dictate it ; it is, for 
instance, unsafe if a cantering horse suddenly goes 



Further Training 265 

from a right-hand circle to a left-hand one and does 
not at once change legs and lead with the inner one, 
as he is liable to cross his legs and come down. It 
will be necessary to decide on the quickest and best 
way of accomplishing this important part of the 
horse's education, v He may be taught either to 
strike off on a particular leg when given certain 
indications, and thus be made handy on both, or he 
may be worked on the circle with the awkward leg 
leading, the circle being gradually enlarged until he 
gets into the way of using this leg on the straight, 
after which it will be easy to teach him to change. 

Having got the animal to canter on either leg, he 
may soon be taught to change legs by the movement 
of the rider's body, by working him on a large fig- 
ure-of-eight. Let us, for example, take it that we 
are riding on the first circle to the right; at the point 
where we wish to enter the second circle the body 
should be swung to the left, and at the same time 
the right rein and right leg applied. The horse 
should be given a good kick with the right heel, and 
if this does not have the required effect he should 
be sharply rapped on the right side with the cane. 
Very soon the indications given by the hand and leg 



266 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

can be dispensed with. This system of training is 
carried out to perfection at the Messrs. Miller's 
school at Rugby. Care must be taken that the move- 
ment of the body is not exaggerated, or the horse 
will lose his balance and will change in front only 
instead of in front and behind. The figure-of-eight 
should not be attempted until the horse canters 
collectedly. 

The aid and indications given at the end of the 
instructional exercises must be amplified according 
to the nature of the horse under training; for ex- 
ample, a well-balanced, keen animal will not re- 
quire the hand and leg work that will be necessary 
on an ill-balanced slug. 

Both hands may have to be raised ^ to make a 
horse " stop " in a collected manner, but I am loath 
to lay down any definite rules to suit all horses. If 
the trainer will keep in his mind's eye the fact that 
when a horse is finished he must be able to answer 
to the aid and the indications given in the instruc- 
tional exercises, he is better left to his own manner 
of arriving at the result, always providing that he 
has a thorough knowledge of the business. 

* Some writers say that you should lower both hands. 



Further Training 267 

On the European Continent great stress is laid 
on the physical training of the horse, for the pur- 
pose of ensuring all-round and even muscular devel- 
opment. Without question the principle is sound, 
and the trainer should carry it out by systematic- 
ally practising circles, turns, passaging, and reining- 
back, as soon as his charge is sufficiently advanced. 
No lesson should be abandoned because it is learnt. 
Jumping, either at liberty or mounted, is the best 
possible exercise for all-round physical develop- 
ment. 

ment. Some of the jumps should be broad, in 
order to oblige the horse to use his shoulders freely. 
If he does nothing but collected work and high jump- 
ing he is likely to lose his full powers of extension, 
however much these may have been developed in 
the early stages of his education. 



XXII 

JUHFING 



XXII 

JUMPING 



" She shortened her long stroke, she pricked her sharp ears, 

She flung it behind her with hardly a rap " 

Lindsay Gordon. 



I 



F a horse has had the advantage of a jumping- 
lane education in early youth, a Hght-weight can 
ride him over low obstacles at once, and very little 
trouble will be found in turning him out as good a 
fencer as his make and disposition will allow of, if 
his mouth is not ill-treated during the process. 
" Natural fencers " are often spoken of, but it may 
be taken that such horses have jumped in early colt- 
hood for pleasure, or, if they come from Ireland, 
have learnt to do so for the purpose of getting from 
field to field on a farm; the animal that has never 
had any opportunity of practising fencing until he is 
four or five years old requires schooling. I do not 
agree with Whyte Melville that not one hunter in 

fifty really likes jumping, and believe that many 

271 



272 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

enjoy it if not jobbed in the mouth and given too 
much of the exercise. 

The beginner must be taught to stand off and 
jump well out. Getting too much under the fence 
and landing on his shoulders are faults which are 
very common in the young horse. For this reason 
the first few lessons should be over an obstacle that 
is broad at the top; either two hurdles bunched 
together of the sort shown in Fig. 5 or the trunk of 
a large tree, the latter having the advantage that a 
horse will never try to go through it. The young- 
ster should not be allowed to jump fast, whether he 
is worked on foot or ridden, until he has learnt to 
get his hocks well under him. Many people com- 
mence with a single rail. Dick Christian (born 
1779), a celebrated trainer of hunters, always did 
this, but I am inclined to believe that it is not the 
shortest way to the end in view, for reasons that I 
have given above. 

The trainer may well begin on foot, and use 
any of the appliances already mentioned: excellent 
results can, however, be obtained in a school without 
them. Lead the horse up to the obstacle and jump 
it yourself alongside of him; after a few times it 



Jumping 273 

will be found that he will jump by merely being led 
up to the fence, the reins in this case being knotted 
to shorten them and left on the animal's neck. A 
mouthful of corn or a carrot should be the reward 
for each performance. 

As soon as the horse jumps readily with a man on 
his back, wings should be dispensed with. This is 
important, as the horse is thus taught that he must 
take the place selected by his rider, and that he is 
under complete control. After a sound preparation, 
there is no better practice for the young horse than 
taking him slowly across country, at first over gaps, 
then over low fences; and if some of them have a 
bad take-off, so much the better. 

To make the animal safe and certain over timber 
and water requires systematic training, too often 
neglected in England, to the detriment of the horse's 
market value- It has always seemed to me that the 
difficulty timber presents to a young horse is owing 
to the fact that the lowest bar is some way off the 
ground, so that he finds nothing to guide him in 
taking off when he looks down to measure the dis- 
tance. I have discovered that commencing with a 
guard-rail in front of the obstacle overcomes the 



274 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

difficulty, the rail being placed nearer and nearer to 
the jump as he becomes accustomed to it, and eventu- 
ally removed. As far as water is concerned, hunters 
often make a great fuss about less than six feet of 
it, a width they could cover in their stride without 
effort. The brook or ditch cannot be too small, or 
be ridden at too slowly to begin with; it is every- 
thing to establish the animal's confidence at once, 
and the pace should be gradually increased as the 
width of the obstacle grows. Should the youngster 
refuse even to approach water, he should be led up 
to it with a crupper leading-rein. 

I am a believer in teaching young horses to jump 
wire, not necessarily for after use, but by way of 
giving them a good eye for measuring distance. I 
only know of one disadvantage to the practice, 
which is that if a horse gets tied up in wire it 
frightens him considerably, but a good deal of ex- 
perience has convinced me that the effects are not 
lasting, and he quickly learns to regard this class 
of obstacle with respect. For instructional purposes 
it can be made in the following manner. Two up- 
rights fixed on to heavy stands are drilled to take 
three or four strands of wire and placed at a suit- 



Jumping 275 

able distance apart. The wires are run through the 
posts and terminate in weights to keep them taut, 
which should hang low enough to allow of a certain 
amount of play if the horse hits the wire. The top 
strand rests on deeply-grooved pulleys on the top of 
each post, and should also be weighted. The jump 
should be low at first, and if two or three sticks are 
twisted in and out of the strands in an upright 
position the horse will be assisted in measuring the 
obstacle until he comes to understand its nature. 
I have conclusively proved that any riding horse 
worthy of the name can be taught to jump wire. 

I strongly advocate sending young horses to the 
covert-side a few times before even asking them 
to follow hounds ; in this way they will more easily 
learn to stand still and not fidget. When entered to 
real hunting they should be taken straight away to 
the front and kept there if possible, to prevent their 
being demoralized by seeing refusals in front of 
them; this should be quite practicable if the pre- 
liminary training has been thorough. 

Show jumping is a special business, which found 
but little favor in England before the days of the 
International Horse Show. It is true that jumping 



276 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

competitions have been held for some years at most 
of the agricultural shows, but the successful horses 
have generally done little else from year to year 
but travel round the country picking up money 
prizes, and few bona fide hunters have competed. 
Without arguing at length the practical educational 
value of making a horse into a show-jumper, I 
would ask the reader whether he would care to ride 
a hunter who was in possession of the fact that every 
fence in the country could be chanced with impunity. 
That the show-jumper is aware of it when he per- 
forms in the ring w^as well illustrated during the 
first few clays especially of the 1909 International 
Horse Show at Olympia (London). Had the fences 
been solid there would, without exaggeration, have 
been at least a hundred falls a day, and some of 
them really dangerous ones. It is true that most 
of the foreign animals entered were said to he 
" cross-country " horses, but this nearly always 
means that they can negotiate a course of made 
fences, which much experience has taught them the 
evil effects of chancing. 

At San Sebastian (Spain) later in the year the 
jumps were of a different caliber, and although in 



Jumping 277 

some cases fantastic and unnatural many of them 
could not be chanced. The chief obstacle in the 
course was a combination of high bank and fly- 
fence with a ditch. The competitor had first to 
jump the fence and then the ditch on to a sloping 
bank ten feet high. After scrambling up this bank 
he was confronted with a four- foot ledge and then 
another ten-foot bank. The top was about eight 
feet broad and an almost perpendicular drop of 
nearly twenty feet completed a very formidable ob- 
stacle, which taxed the pluck and tendons of the 
horses very highly. 

Height and not length has till recently been the 
usual characteristic of the obstacles at International 
horse shows, and to jump height the animal must 
learn to be an excellent judge of where to take off, 
and must get right back on his hocks before he does 
so. One of the best trick-jumpers I ever saw would 
always refuse if he did not get into his proper 
stride, sooner than go through the fence; yet 
although he refused, he was quite ready to have 
another try without any punishment or coercion. 
It was palpable that he refused in the same way as 



278 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

a man who stops when he has misjudged his run 
at a high jump. 

Some horses require to be put back on their hocks, 
and jump better in a double bit ; others, Hke the cele- 
brated " All Fours," collect themselves of their 
own accord and perform best with a slack rein : they 
can see what they are doing and measure their dis- 
tance better with their heads free. 

A placid disposition is a valuable asset in a show- 
jumper; the education can scarcely fail to irritate 
many temperaments. Both horse and man require 
special training. The man must, amongst other 
things, learn to lean well forward on landing, and 
the horse's training must be of two sorts. Firstly, 
continual up-and-down-hill work — the steeper the 
better — at first at a walk and then at a canter, for 
the purpose of muscle development. This can be ob- 
tained by continual jumping, but it is apt to sicken 
the horse and make him shin-sore. Secondly, special 
training in high jumping over those fancy obstacles 
which are never met with out of the show-ring. The 
difficulty of teaching high jumping is that it must, if 
possible, be done without giving the horse falls, as 
in coming down from a height of, say, six feet, he 




u 

p. 









1 • 

>^- 

X 

0) 



Jumping 279 

is very apt to hurt himself; I have seen more than 
one injured shoulder from this cause. 

One way to set about it is to have a man at each 
end holding the bar on the rests, or a second bar 
maintained at the same height, and to jump the 
horse firstly at liberty and then with a man on his 
back. If he clears the bar well, the men holding it 
should do nothing, but if it is a near thing they 
should endeavor to jerk the bar up and down again, 
so as to rap the horse on the fetlocks. It is not a 
very difficult thing to do with a little practice. In at 
least one country abroad where they are famous for 
their high jumpers, it is not an uncommon practice 
to cover the bar with leather containing sharp tacks, 
point outwards. This plan is more effective and 
does not make refusers, but it is barbarous, and we 
may be thankful that it is unlawful in England. 
The bar is, of course, let go by the holders if the 
horse is likely to fall from jumping too low. 

Some horses are cunning enough quickly to as- 
sociate the presence of the men in the vicinity of the 
jump with the correction of the bar, and will imme- 
diately chance the fence if they are absent. This 
difficulty can be overcome if the bar is worked by 



28o Modern Riding and Horse Education 

pulleys and ropes from a distance, as is now almost 
invariably done on the Continent. The pulleys are 
attached to strong upright posts at each end of the 
fence, and the pole is sunk slightly below its top, 
in such a manner as to be invisible from the taking- 
off side. 

The disadvantage of the above method of training 
is that the effect is seldom lasting, and that the pun- 
ishment — such as it is — must often be administered. 
A horse remembers a fall at a natural fence and dis- 
likes it extremely, and he generally takes every care 
that it shall not happen again if he can help it. But 
if the obstacles are fancy ones, he seems instinctively 
to know exactly what may be chanced and what may 
not. This was well illustrated at the International 
Horse Show of 1909, where the walls, although col- 
lapsible, had a solid appearance and did not fall at 
a mere touch, being accordingly treated with greater 
respect than any other obstacles in the ring. 

The piano jump, three rails in a line, and other 
special obstacles must be made small at first, or when 
necessary only half put up, and the horse sent over 
them with nobody on his back until he understands 
what is required of him. 



Jumping 281 

Training the horse to go down what is almost a 
precipice, a special feature of Italian show riding, 
must be taught by degrees, the pace of the horse 
and the slope and length of the declivity being in- 
creased as the horse gets accustomed to balancing 
himself. The Italians have now trained their horses 
to go up a steep narrow bank, jump a wall on top, 
and then immediately descend a steep incline. This 
sounds alarming, but to a great extent careful train- 
ing eliminates accidents. 



XXIII 

BEEtrSEBS 



XXIII 

REFUSERS 

" Yet I must tell you, the rarest Leaping Horse that ever I saw, or 
Rid, went not at all upon the Curb, but only upon the Barrs of his 
Mouth, which I do not commend ; but it is better to have him Leap 
so, being so rare a horse, than to be so Over-Curious as not to have 
him Leap at all, because he went not upon the Curb." 

Newcastle. 

A FTER reading the above quotation the reader 
will perhaps agree with me that the Duke 
either did very little jumping, or was extraordinarily 
lucky in only finding one horse that objected to leap- 
ing on the curb ; there is no surer way of manufac- 
turing a refuser if the animal's mouth and chin are 
not past all feeling. 

Horses refuse for various reasons, and it is useless 
to attempt to cure them of the habit until we have 
ascertained the cause. A well-known writer has 
said that it takes two years to make a horse and 
about half-an-hour to spoil him, and we may safely 
go this far with him : that a good jumper can be 

ruined in a very short time, and that the trouble and 

28s 



286 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

work which will be required to get him back to his 
true form cannot be measured with accuracy. The 
refuser is of little value either to the hunting man 
or to the exhibitor of show jumpers, so that the pre- 
vention and cure of this exasperating fault is a 
matter of the first importance to them. 

A horse may refuse for any of the following rea- 
sons, or from a combination of several. 

1. From having been previously jobbed in the 
mouth on landing (Plate XXV), thus receiving se- 
vere punishment for obeying his rider's wishes. If 
the job in the mouth is severe the horse receives the 
additional punishment of jarring his hindquarters on 
landing, as they come to the ground too soon and are 
not adapted for bearing weight as are the forelegs. 

2. Being accidentally spurred during any phase 
of the jump — another punishment for obedience. 

3. Insufficient elementary schooling; the horse will 
refuse because he does not know what is required 
of him. 

4. Not having sufficient head-room when he poises 
his body to spring. 

5. Want of heart in the rider, which is so easily 
communicated through the reins. 



iRefusers 2^7 

6. Want of heart in the horse if the fence is big. 

7. Seeing other horses refuse in front of him. 

8. Lameness either in front or behind, or a 
strained back. 

9. Sore back. 

10. Badly-fitting saddle. 

11. Ill-fitting or too severe a bridle. 

12. Sickened by too much jumping. 

13. Vice. 

14. Finding that he has miscalculated his distance 
and has to take off too soon or too late; the horse 
often prefers to refuse if he can, rather than fall 
(see page 279). 

I have seen horses refuse from all these causes: 
let us, in so far as is practicable, discuss the reme- 
dies, eliminating those refusers who require attention 
from a veterinary surgeon, and also those who be- 
long to such callous masters as will not study their 
horse's comfort in the matter of his furniture. 

Horses have such retentive memories that only if 
victory is certain is a pitched battle to be thought of, 
and even then it is bad policy. I do not wish by this 
to imply that corrective punishment is not sometimes 



283 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

necessary, but it is better applied when we are work- 
ing on foot and are assured of mastery and obedi- 
ence, and only then if a resolute pair of hands and 
legs and a touch of whip and spur have failed of 
their effect. Patience and untiring effort is the 
secret of success with a refuser, be he young or old, 
if the result is to be satisfactory and the lesson a 
lasting one. 

If the horse refuses because he has been punished 
in the mouth, jump him without reins over very low 
obstacles, which should gradually be raised; then 
use reins attached to a thick smooth snaffle. I have 
seen a horse, who had been refusing for half-an- 
hour, jump at once simply because the curb bit was 
removed from his mouth, although up to then no 
pressure had been put upon it. If for any reason 
jumping without reins cannot be undertaken, it is 
best to dismount and put on a crupper leading-rein 
(described in the section devoted to appliances, page 
231). After the horse has jumped with this appli- 
ance, which assuredly he will, feed him with a 
mouthful of carrot or other delicacy; rest him a 
little, and then ride him over the fence; if he again 
refuses, repeat the performance. 



Refusers 289 

We cannot make a coward brave, whether he be 
man or horse, but we can sometimes obHge him to 
do what he fears by strongly impressing upon him 
the evil consequences of resistance. A resolute rider 
with a sharp pair of spurs will often make up a 
horse's mind for him, but he can never cure him of 
the tendency to refuse, for the simple reason that 
the coward, from his very nature, will take the first 
opportunity of finding the rider off his guard to 
balk again, especially if the obstacle be at all formi- 
dable. Working on foot, either with a light caves- 
son, long reins, or the crupper leading-rein, may 
improve this class of animal, as jumping without a 
weight on his back inspires confidence in the per- 
former, but I should strongly advise the owner to 
sell him on the first opportunity. 

A refuser from any of the causes we are now 
discussing, who " runs out " when going at a fence, 
generally does so on one particular side. This can 
sometimes be stopped by showing him the whip on 
that side, or by a course of bending the neck to the 
other, the side which he stiffens to oppose you : in 
fact, using lateral flexions (see page 259). 

Horses that refuse from vice come under an 



290 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

altogether different category, and often repay per- 
severance and patience beyond the trainer's expecta- 
tions. Punishment with the whip or spurs gener- 
ally increases the trouble, so we must look for other 
means of enforcing mastery and obedience. Here 
again we must go back to elementary work ; the ob- 
stacles cannot be too low to commence with, and 
bran and not corn is the best food for the delinquent 
until he has seen the error of his ways. His corn 
must afterwards be regulated, little being allowed at 
first, and the quantity gradually increased. It is 
waste of time trying to cure vice if the horse is 
above himself. The animal can be thrown immedi- 
ately after the refusal (see page 235 on Appli- 
ances), with his head facing the jump and about ten 
yards from it; he should be held down for five 
minutes or so with his head slightly raised off the 
ground, and then taken at the fence again. Another 
way of treating him is to place him in front of the 
jump and tie up one foreleg, keeping him in this 
position until he is tired. Any of the appliances 
mentioned for coercing a coward may be used in 
conjunction with these two punishments. As soon 



Refusers 291 

as the horse gives in we must make much of him and 
give him some deHcacy. 

Doubtless some horses will jump when hounds 
are running that will not do so in cold blood, but 
those who urge that the way to cure a refuser is to 
take him to the front out hunting forget that the 
rider should always be in command, and not be sub- 
ject to the caprice of his mount. A horse should not 
be allowed in the field until he will jump willingly in 
cold blood. One disadvantage of trying to cure this 
vice out hunting is that when the animal does refuse, 
—and I have ridden horses myself thathave" turned 
it up " in the middle of a run after having gone 
well, and with nothing forbidding in front of them— 
the rider cannot assure himself of victory, as he has 
nothing but his whip and spurs to help him. He 
may be kept in the same field for half a day and still 
fail, a very serious matter as far as curing the horse 

is concerned. 

If the worst comes to the worst, the despairing 
rider who has seen the hunt fade from his sight 
may generally get his horse to jump a moderately- 
sized fence, and so gain a hollow victory, if he dis- 



292 Modern Riding and Horse Education 

mounts and pulls the animal over by the reins, 
lengthened by the addition of the whip-thong. 

Except with very young horses, it is best not to 
allow them a lead over a fence, as it is in a sense a 
moral support, and if we pander to them in this re- 
spect we cannot expect boldness — the most valuable 
characteristic in the jumper ; and, I might also add, 
an indispensable one in the horseman. 

Horses are seldom fit for really hard work before 
they are six years old, and we in England should 
do well to follow Continental nations a little more 
in this matter. In the English Cavalry Training 
Manual of 1904 it was laid down that the trainer 
should aim at making his horse as handy as a polo 
pony, as clever as a hunter, and as quiet as a shoot- 
ing pony. The ideal is an excellent one, and sel- 
dom impossible if the training is scientific. 

THE END. 



INDEX 



Adams, 34, 90, 139, 147, 222 
Adductor muscle, 59, 60 
Aid, the one, and the Indica- 
tions, 75-77 
Aids, 16, 17, 75-77, 184- 1S9, 

265, 266 
America (U. S.), 5» 6, 7, 35, 

95, loi, 155 
American flat-racing seat, 28, 

40-43 
American trotter, 82, 198, 199 
Anderson, 120 
Angle of thigh, Z7 
Appliances for horse training, 

219-241 
Arabs, 32, 200, 245 
Ash-pole, 235 
Assheton-Smith, 154 
Australian methods, 95, 152, 

221, 232, 234 
Austrian Cavalry School 

(Vienna), 8, 23, 38 
Austrian methods, 83, 148, 179, 

226, 231, 236 
Austrian nose-band, 226, 227, 

2Z(i 



Baden-Powell, General, 201 
Balance, of horse, 89-94, 107, 

193-202, 259 
Balance, of man, 27, 36, 39, 42, 



43, 47-56, 60, (iZ, 64, 70, 132, 
13s, 136, 138, 146, 153, 154, 
160 

Balancing, exercises for, 63-65, 
179-181 

Barnes, Mr., 210-214 

Baucher, 34, 63, 70, 120, 131, 
198, 199, 257, 258 

Bearing-rein, 198, 228, 229, 2z(i 

Belgian Cavalry School 

(Ypres), 8, 23 

Berenger, 38, 61, 113, 119, 143, 
147, 193, 222, 231 

Bernhardi, General von, 13 

Bits, 144, 239-241, 288 

Blaine, 34 

Body, position of when jump- 
ing, 49-56, 136, 160-166 

Boer War (South Africa), 24, 
2,1, 38, 173 

Boers, 48, 260 (note) 

Boots, 168 

Bourgelat, 21, 147, 231, 232 

Brains, of the horse, 205-215 

Breeches, 168 

Bridle, 90, 114, 168, 169, 239 

Bridle, Commanche, 229 

Brocklehurst, General, 254 

Browne, Mr., 221, 232, 249 

Brussels Horse Show, 19 

Buckjumping, 155, 156 

Buckskin saddles, 16, 152 



293 



294 



Index 



Buxtorff, ITQ 

Cabriole, i6, 155 

Cage, 235 

Caligula, 30 

Cane, 115, 238 

Cantering, 83, 84, 180-185, 188, 

264, 265 
Carriage of head and neck, 

194-201, 256-259 
Carthaginians, 113 
Caubert, Captain, 261 
Cavaliers, 32 

Cavalry Depot, Canterbury, 37 
Cavalry Schools, see Schools 
Cavesson, 225-227, 247, 289 
Centrifugal force, 49, 84 
Cesaresco, Count E. Martinen- 

go, 39, 100, 139, 206, 208, 209, 

212, 228, 236, 248 
Character of horses, 254, 255 
Check-rein, 198 
Child's rocking-horse, 50 
Christian, Dick, 272 
Circling, 83, 84, 182, 185, 188, 

259, 264-266 
Colt, handling of, 245-250 
Commanche bridle, 229 
Conquest, 31, 119 
Courbette, 16, 18, 155, 231, 235 
Cow-puncher, 35, loi 
Cross-legged seat, ladies', 7 
Crosstrees, 228 

Croupade, 16, 18, 155, 231, 235 
Cruelty, 246 
Crupper leading-rein, 229, 274, 

288, 289 
Crusades, 32 
Crush, 234 



Cutting-whip, 115 

De Lisle, 262 

Demonstration, teaching by, 

168 
Development of gripping 

muscles, 59-67, 108, 152, 157 
Distribution of the rider's 

weight, 75-77, 81-85, 265, 266 
Dodge, 41, 248 
Dragging, 155, 156 
Driving, long-rein, 221-225, 

289 
" Drop " fence, 55 
Dummy horse, 60-65 ■ 
Dwyer, 131, 134, 148, 239 

Early days, 245-250 
Eastern nations, 29, 30, 38 
Eastern seat, 28, 29 
Ecuyers at Saumur, 15, 155, 

163 
Exercises for balancing, 63-65, 

179-181 
Exercises for curing rider's 

strain, 65, 66 
Exercises for curing round 

thighs, 70 
Exercises for developing 

gripping muscles, 60-65, 108, 

152, 157 
Exercises, instructional, 177- 

189 
Equitation, lessons in, 177-183 

Fallon, 221 

Falls, 63, 138. 153, 154 
Fancy obstacles, 14, 18, 277, 
278, 280 



Index 



29S 



Fatigue, 135, 136, 137, 171, 256 
Fence, riding at, 160-163 
Fillis, 34, 109, 120, 131, 133, 

210, 257, 258, 262, 263 
Fitting stirrups, 171 
Flat-racing seat, 28, 29, 39-43, 

69 
Flexion, 196-200, 257-259 

Flexor muscle, 59, 60 

Foot, working on, 256-259, 272, 

273, 289 
Fox-hunting, 34, 35 
Free forward movement, 255 
Freedom of head and neck, 

91-97, 163-166, 194-201, 239, 

256-259 
Freeman, 222 
French Cavalry School (Sau- 

mur), 6, 8, 15-18, 23, 24, 38, 

146 
French methods, 15-19, 83, 152, 

154, ISS, 226, 231 
Further training, 253-267 

Gag, rope, 235 

Galvayne, 209, 221, 222, 230, 

235 
Galvayne strap, 231 
German Cavalry School 

(Hanover), 6, 8, 15, 23 
German methods, 133, 236, 261 
Getting down in the saddle, 

69-71 
Gibbon, 37 
Greenwood, 76, 94 
Grip, knee and thigh, 27, 59- 

67 
Gripping muscles, development 



of, 59-67, 108, 152, 157 
Half-passage, 186, 189 
Handling colt, 245-250 
Hand-spur, 235 
Hand-whips, two, 238 
Hands, height of the, 97, 98 
Hands, ladies', 98 
Hands, use and misuse of the, 

89-104 
Hanover, German Cavalry 

School at, 6, 8, 15, 23 
Harrington, Earl of, 249 
Haute Ecole, 16, 17, 28, 32, 34, 
36, 75, 91, 107, 114, 115, 120, 
131, 146, 229, 231, 238 
iHayes, 44, 55, i33, I34, 146, 
148, 200, 207, 208, 214, 221, 
222, 224, 225, 228, 229, 
233, 238, 263, 264 
Head, 100, 119 
Head and neck, carriage of, 

194-201, 256-259 
Head-room for horse, 91-97, 
163-166, 196, 198-201, 238, 
286 
Hieover, Harry, 170 
Hints to instructors, 167-173 
Hobday, Professor, 206 
Hocks, turning on, 263, 264 
Holding, Frank, 232 
Holding reins, manner of, 52, 

96, 100-104, 169 
Horse, balance of, 89-94, io7, 

193-202, 259 
Horse, dummy, 59-63 
Horse, mastership, 172, 173 
Horse, rocking, 64, 65 
Horse, rocking, child's, 50 



296 



Index 



Horse shows, 5, 7, 13-15, 19. 

92, 146, 1A7, ^75-277, 280 
Horse, training appliances, 

219-2 II 
Horse, weighing experiments, 

195, 196 
Horses, introduction of in 

America, 35 
Horse's mind, 205-215 
Hungary, 8 

Hunting, 34, 35, 275, 291 
Hunting seat, 7, 28, 29, 36, 38, 

39, 43, 44 
Hurdles, 157, 272 



levers, Major Philip G., 65 
Improved method, an, 151-173 
Independent work, 182 
Indications, the one aid and 

the, 75-77 
Indications, of the leg, 107- 

109, 184-189, 265, 266 
Indications, of the voice, 113, 

114 
Instructional exercises, 177- 

189 
Instructors, hints to, 167-170 
Instructors of horses in 

America, 35 
Introduction of reins, 143-144 
Invention of stirrups, 29 
Iron-pointed pole, 235 
Irons, ladies' safety, i-]S 
Italian Cavalry School (Pin- 

erolo), 6, 8, 23, 38 
Italian methods, 52, 83, 96, 

136, 260 (note), 281 



James I., 19 

Jennings, 230 

Jibbing, 229 

Jockeys, 5, 40-43, 53, 54, 70, 

102, 163-166 
Jumping, 92, 94, 109, 126, 136, 

145-147, 267, 271-281 
Jumping, learning, 126, 154- 

166, 180-183 
Jumping, position of body 

when, 49-56, 136, 160-166 
Jumping, refusing, 285-292 
Jumping, seat for, 33, 34, 44, 

49-56, 160 
Jumping, show, 13, 14, 18, 54, 

55, 92, 147, 275-281 
Jumping, without reins, 126, 

154-160, 180-182, 289 
Jumping, without stirrups, 

136, 181, 182 

Knee and thigh grip, 27, 59- 
67, 108 

Ladies' hands, 198 
Ladies' cross-legged seat, 7 
Ladies' safety irons, 148 
Leading leg, 83, 84, 109, 185, 

186, 188, 264, 265 
Leading rein, 148 
Leading rein, crupper, 229, 

274, 288, 289 
Leg, indications of the rider's, 

107-109, 184-189, 265, 266 
Leg, use of the lower part of 

the, 107-110, 189 
Lessons in equitation, 177-183 
Livy, 144 



Index 



297 



Longe, 148, 158, 177, 226 
Longeing-whip, 235 
Long rein driving, 221-225, 289 
Losing stirrups, 155 
Losses in horse-flesh in war, 
173 



Man, balance of, 27, 36, 39, 42, 
43, 47-56, 60, 63, 64, 70, 132, 

135, 136, 138, 145, 146, 153, 
154, 160 

Manege, 125, 126, 148, 158 

Manege, riding, 33 

Manner of holding reins, 52, 

96, 100-104, 169 
Martingales, 237, 238 
Mason, Jim, 98 
Mauleon, de, 253, 261 
Medows, Sir Sidney, 222 
Method, an improved, 151-173 
Methods, Australian, 95, 152, 

221, 232, 234 

Methods, Austrian, 83, 148, 

179, 226, 231, 236 
Methods, French, 15-19, 83, 

152, 154, 15s, 226, 231 
Methods, German, 133, 236, 

261 
Methods, Italian, 52, 83, 96, 

136, 260 (note), 281 
Methods, obsolete, 9 
Military saddle, 39 
Military seat, 7, 28, 36-39 
Military tournament, 44 
Miller, the Messrs., 14, 97, 

222, 266 

Mind, the horse's, 205-215 



Misuse and use of the hands, 

89-104 
Moore, Mr. John Hubert, 221 
Mounting, 169, 170, 260 
Mouth, pressure on horse's, 97 
Muscles, adductor, 59, 60 
Muscles, flexor, 59, 60 
Muscles, gripping, develop- 
ment of, 59-67, 108, 152, 157 
Mott, Major T. Bentley, 6 

Neck and head, carriage of, 
194-201, 256-259 

Nerve, 167 

Netheravon, Cavalry School 
at, 24, 109, 222 

Newcastle, Duke of, 34, 100, 
232, 238, 246 

Nolan, 120, 246 

Norway, 245 

Nose-band, Austrian, 226, 227, 
236 

Numnah v. saddle with stir- 
rups, 131-139 

Obsolete methods, 9 
Obstacles, fancy, 14, 18, 277, 

278, 280 
Oeynhausen, von, 236 
Olympia, 19, 276 
Open, riding schools v. the, 

125-128 
Opening the shoulders, 95, 96, 

163 
Osmer, 215 

Passaging, 186, 263 
Pelvis, 30 



298 



Index 



Pembroke, Earl of, 20, 23, 36, 
47, 147, 222, 224 

Perpendicular, 48-55 

Phillipps, 97, 166 

Physical training of the horse, 
267 

Piette, M. Edouard, 143 

Pignatelli, 231 

Pillar, single, 232 

Pillars, 17, 154, 230, 232 

Pinerolo (Italian Cavalry 
School at), 6, 8, 23, 38 

Placing the beginner on the 
horse, 170 

Pole, ash, 235 

Pole, iron-pointed, 235 

Polo, 5, 60, 97, loi, 120 

Polo ponies, 14, 264 

Position of the body when 
jumping, 49-56, 136, 160-166 

Preliminary gripping exer- 
cises, 60-65, 152, 157 

Pressure on the horse's mouth, 

97 
Pucci, Marchese Orario, 93 
Pulling, 98-100, 197-201 

Quist, Captain, 23 

Raabe, Mr., 230 
Racing seat, 28, 29, 39-43, 69 
Rarey, 148, 232, 233, 247 
Rarey strap, 232, 233 
Refusing, 114, 158, 285-292, 

277 
Rein, leading, 148 
Rein, single, 225-228, 247 
Reining back, 186, 262, 263 



Reins, bearing, 198, 228, 229, 

236 
Reins, crupper leading, 229, 

274, 288, 289 
Reins, introduction of, 143, 144 
Reins, jumping without, 126, 

154-160, 180-182, 288 
Reins, letting slip, 163, 166 
Reins, long, 221-225, 289 
Reins, manner of holding, 52, 

96, 100-104, 169 
Reins, rubber, 228 
Reins, running, 237 • 
Reins, side, 226 
Reins v, no reins, 143-148 
Rider's strain, to cure, 65, 66 
Rider's weight, distribution of, 

75-77, 81-85, 265, 266 
Riding at a fence, 160-163 
Riding " right hand free," 100 
Riding schools v. the open, 

125-128 
Riding, teaching, 151-189 
Riding without stirrups, 69, 

131 -139, 1^4, 145, 149, 179- 

182 
Rockfeller, 214 
Rocking-horse, 64, 65 
Rocking-horse, child's, 50 
Roller-pad, 136 
Romans, 33, 144 
Rope-gag, 235 
Round thighs, to cure, 70 
Rowels, 120, 121 
Rushing, 145, 159 

Saddle, buckjumping, 152 
Saddle, buckskin, 16, 152 



Index 



299 



Saddle, getting down into the, 

69-71 
Saddle, high-peaked, 31 
Saddle, military, 39 
Saddle, with stirrups v. num- 
nah, 131-139 
Safety-irons, ladies', 149 
Sample, 214, 230, 235 
San Sebastian, 276, 2']'] 
Saumur, see Schools 
Saumur, Ecuyers at, 15, 155, 

163 
Sauteurs, 154, 155, 231 
Schools, Cavalry : Austria 

(Vienna), 8, 23, 38 
Schools, Cavalry : Belgium 

(Ypres), 8, 23 
Schools, Cavalr}^ : England 

(Netheravon), 24, 109, 222 
Schools, Cavalry : France 

(Saumur), 6, 8, 15-18, 23, 

24, 38, 146, 163, 226 
Schools, Cavalry : Germany 

(Hanover), 6, 8, 15, 23 
Schools, Cavalry: Italy (Pine- 

rolo), 6, 8, 2Z, 38 
Schools, riding, v. the open, 

125-128 
Science in riding and horse 

training, 13-24 
Seat, Eastern, 28, 29 
Seat, Haute Ecole, 28 
Seat, for jumping, Z3, 34. 44. 

49-56, 160 
Seat, for hunting, 7, 28, 29, 36, 

38, 39, 43. 44. 134 
Seat, ladies' cross-legged, 7 
Seat, military, 7, 28, 36-39 
Seat, racing, 28, 29, 39-43, 69 



Seat, straight-legged, 28-39, 

133. 134 

Seat, war, 30, 32 

Seats, 27-44 

Segundo, Don Juan, 239 

Shoulder-in, 189 

Shoulders, opening the, 95, 96, 
163 

Shouting, 168 

Show-jumping, 13, 14, 18, 54, 
55, 92, 147, 275-281 

Shows, horse, 5, 7, 13-15, 19, 
92, 146, 147, 275-277, 280 

Shying, 247-248 

Sidney, 30, 32 

Side-reins, 226 

Single-rein, 225-228, 247 

Single pillar, 232 

Skeene, 2Z7 

Slipping reins, 163, 166 

Sloan, Tod, 40 

Slug, 118, 120, 167 

South African (Boer) War, 
24, 2,7, 38, 173 

Spanish trot, 17 

Spurs, 119-121, 289 

Spurs, hand, 235 

Stirrups, saddle with v. num- 
nah, 131-139 

Stirrups, short, 38, 69, 70 

Stirrups, fitting of, 171 

Stirrups, invention of, 29 

Stirrups, losing, 155 

Stirrups, riding without, 69, 

131, 139. 144, 145, 148, 179- 
182 

Stirrups, tied together, see 

Strap 
Stop, the, 185, 187, 188, 266 



300 



Index 



Strait- jackets, 229, 230 
Strain, riders', to cure, 65, 66 
Strap, the, 152-157 
Strap, Galvayne, 230 
Strap, Rarey, 232, 233 
Stumbling, 17, 93, 94. no 
Swire, Mr., 17 
Switchback, 51 



Teaching riding, 151-189 

Teaching riding by demon- 
stration, 168 

Thigh, angle of, Z"] 

Thigh and knee grip, 27, 59- 
67, 108 

Thigh, curing rider's strain in, 
65, 66 

Thighs, 69-71, 108 

Thighs, curing round, 70 

Third hand, 235 

Thompson, Mr. Charles, no 

Thormanby, 109, 147, 214 

Throwing horses, 233, 234 

Timber, 273, 274 

Time required for training, 
253, 254 

Tod Sloan, 40 

" Tommy," 209, 210 

Tournament, military, 44 

Tozer, 31, 144 

Training horses, appliances 
for, 219-241 

Training horses by the voice, 
209-214 

Training, further, 253-267 

" Trixie," 210-214 

Trot, Spanish, 17 



Trotter, American, 82, 198, 

199 
Trotting, 179-182, 261, 262 
Trotting, indications for, 185 
Turks, 38 
Turning, indications for, 184, 

185 
Turning on hocks, 263, 264 
Tweedie, General, 214 
Twitch, 235 
Two hand-whips, 238 
Tyndale, 36, 237 

U. S. America, 5, 6, 7, 28, 35, 

40-43, 95, loi, 155 
Use and misuse of the hands, 

89-104 
Use of the lower part of the 

leg, 107-110, 189 

Vegetius, 61 

Vienna (Austrian Cavalry 

School at), 8, 23, 38 
Vision of the horse, 200, 201 
Voice and whip, 113-115 
Voice as an indication, 113, 

114 

Voice training, 209-214 

Walk, indications for, 184 

Walsh, 148 

War seat, 30, 32 

War, South African (Boer), 

24, zi, 38, 173 

Water, 2^]^, 274 
Weighing horses, 195, 196 
Weight, distribution of the 
rider's, 75-77, 81-85, 265, 266 



Index 



301 



What to teach young horses, 

193-202 
Whip, 126, 167, 256, 258 
Whip and voice, 113-115 
Whip, longeing, 235 
Whips, hand, two, 238 
Whyte Melville, 94. 98, 120, 

148, 208, 271 
Wire, 274, 275 
Wischzaum, 236 
Working by demonstration, 

168 



Working on foot, 256-259, 272, 
273, 289 

Xenophon, 30, 31, 33, 39, "9, 

227 

Ypres (Belgian Cavalry 
School at), 8, 23 



Zittel, von, 35. 



m 18 1912 






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